Do you have water rights to it? In my state it doesn't matter if it comes up on your property you would have to petition to get rights (if no one owns it) to be able to use the water. Would you be digging a well or taking the water from the surface? Are there farms near by? There could be all kinds of nasty stuff in surface water.

I would definitely prefer filtered spring water over any of those other options.

People pay big bucks at the grocery store for bottled spring water, while you could supply your whole house with it for free.

Worse case scenario is the spring dries up at some point in the future and you have to tap into the city water.

My only thought/concern is getting the water from the spring to your house.

Is the spring above ground/exposed or underground? Will it run via gravity to the cistern or be pumped? Do you live in a cold weather climate where freezing could be an issue?

Unfortunately, some springs pick up surface contaminants from agriculture, roadways, etc. I know more than one person who has a UV system to kill coliforms in their spring water. Get a test. Also make sure any spring is truly year-round and doesn't dry up in low rainfall years.

The spring we would use comes up above ground and has a box built around it. It is currently routed from there to a big tractor tire which serves as watering trough for cattle. We can tie into that line, route it into a cistern and then run it up a hill to our house where it is filtered (we do need a pump for that). For the lines, pump, cistern, and filter, (and labor) we are looking at about $3500. To hook up to city water we have to pay $2700 for the meter plus around $1800 for water lines and labor. The best info I can get on a well is that the average depth for my county is 133ft and that would be around $7500.

We we did have the spring water tested and it had bacteria (“I’ve never seen one without it” the guy who tested says). It had no iron, lime etc. The man said it would actually be safe to drink as whatever bacteria it was was not harmful in low amounts but we would use the UV filter anyway.

Health department here has no regulations on what type we go with.

I think this is a no-brainer...go with the spring.

I would just take a few precautions at the spring source:

Make sure the "box" is sealed properly, so no contaminated ground water can enter, and no foreign objects (sticks/leaves/animals/ect) can get in. You may have to rebuild the box to achieve this.

If you have water rights for a well I'd dig one. Why worry about E Coli, other icky stuff, and it drying up when a well is only another $4k? We spent $18k for it to be dug, well pump, and plumbing into the house and were thrilled it was that low.

I'm betting the contractor is voting for the spring because he thinks it'll be the quickest. We aren't in a high cost of living area but well diggers are busy and it can take a few months (or longer) for one to become available.

Is OP in North America?

One added note: will a spring meet a lender's requirements, either now or later?

Yes, I’m in Virginia. And yes lender is ok with any of the options

Also water rights are in the deed to the property. The property itself is a farm and was used primarily for cattle (there wasn’t a house there) before we purchased it two years ago. Since we purchased it we have been cutting it for hay.

The OP has already had the water tested! It was found to be safe to drink as-is.

Check out Rain Harvest Systems out of Georgia. We used their filtration system for the new house that is fed by rainwater and cisterns. They have a filtration set up for 20 microns, 5 microns, 1 micron charcoal filter and UV sanitizer up to 20 or 30 gallons per minute.

https://www.rainharvest.com/rainflo-18-gpm-complete-uv-disinfection-system.asp

They also have cisterns, pumps, etc and are SUPER helpful.

Thanks, will look at that for sure.

no cattle currently or for past 2 years, that’s just the way the farm was set up previously. There are nearby farms with cattle though.

Our hesitation with a well is the cost is unknown until they dig, could be double their estimate or more. Just a big chance.

In theory city water would be most reliable but I know there can be issues there with quality.

We we are leaning towards the spring but since it’s a foreign concept to me I want to make sure I’m not overlooking some disadvantage.

M R water is one thing I wouldn't want to worry about in a new home. With all the pesticides and what not farmers use (we use them too) I wouldn't chance it. I looked at the Rain Harvest System and it's for rain water. I didn't see anything about spring water.

booty bums it's not safe to drink as is.

The thing I find most surprising is that there aren't stricter rules around water rights. Here in Utah it is tightly regulated. You can have irrigation rights but if you want to use it for a house you have to petition to have the right changed. Ours water right very specific in what the flow can be and that it's for 1 home with 1/4 acre irrigation (for yard) and 2 large animals (cattle/horses).

I grew up in NY state and our house’s water was from a spring. Best water ever.

Pump house

"booty bums it's not safe to drink as is."

This is 100% WRONG.

The OP himself stated..."The man said it would actually be safe to drink as whatever bacteria it was not harmful in low amounts but we would use the UV filter anyway."