Bowley v. Koze

31 Pa. D. & C.2d 504, 1962 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 50
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Lehigh County
DecidedSeptember 18, 1962
Docketno. 2
StatusPublished

This text of 31 Pa. D. & C.2d 504 (Bowley v. Koze) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Lehigh County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bowley v. Koze, 31 Pa. D. & C.2d 504, 1962 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 50 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1962).

Opinion

Koch, J.,

Plaintiffs, residents of a rural area in Lehigh County, instituted this action in equity to restrain defendant from “turning off the [505]*505supply of their water” to their home. After the filing of an answer, the matter was set down for hearing. On that occasion it appeared that defendant had already closed a valve thus depriving plaintiffs of a water supply. At the conclusion of the hearing we entered a preliminary order enjoining defendant from turning off the water supply and also ordering him to reinstate the service.

Based upon the testimony and the admissions in the pleadings we make the following

Findings of Fact

1. Plaintiffs, Kenneth EL Bowley and Eleanor D. Bowley, are husband and wife and reside at R.D. No. 1, Center Valley, Lehigh County, Pa.

2. Defendant, Donald R. Koze, is an individual also residing at R.D. No. 1, Center Valley, Lehigh County, Pa.

3. George W. Koze, now deceased, and Anna M. Koze, his wife, were in 1943, the owners in fee simple of approximately 37.5 acres of land located at R.D. No. 1, Center Valley, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, having acquired their title by grant of two deeds as recorded in Deed Book Volume 608 at page 318 and Volume 639 at page 106, as contained in the office for the recording of deeds at Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania.

4. The above-mentioned property primarily consisted of farm land and was bisected by a two-lane macadam highway known as the Lanark-Vera Cruz Highway. When originally purchased by George M. Koze and his wife, Anna, the property contained a large farmhouse, barn, and garage buildings.

5. During the years 1947 and 1948, the above-mentioned George M. Koze constructed a single family dwelling across the Lanark-Vera Cruz Highway from [506]*506the original farm-house buildings. In order to supply water to this new house, a pipeline was placed in the ground running from the well at the original farmhouse, across the road, and into the new home. Thus, the farmhouse well in this manner furnished the water supply for both houses.

6.Defendant, Donald R. Koze, purchased 3.3724 acres from his father and mother, George W. Koze and Anna M. Koze, on October 3, 1950, as recorded in Deed Book Volume 749 at page 56 in the office of the Recorder of Deeds at Allentown, Lehigh County, Pa. This land was also across the Lanark-Vera Cruz Highway from the original farmhouse and situated approximately three hundred feet to the west of the home built by the above-mentioned George W. Koze in. 1947-48.

7. Defendant then constructed his own single unit family home and drilled a well on his property in order to secure water for his home.

8. Plaintiffs, on January 10, 1955, then purchased the home which had been built by George W. Koze in 1947-48 together with 3.5474 acres of land. The deed to this property is recorded in Deed Book Volume 842 at page 32, as recorded in the office of the Recorder of Deeds at Allentown, Lehigh County, Pa.

9. Continuously from the erection of the house by George W. Koze in 1947-48 until its purchase early in 1955 by plaintiffs, this home received its water supply from the farmhouse well and through the pipeline laid in 1947-48 by George W. Koze, father of the wife-plaintiff.

10. The deed of conveyance between George W. Koze and Anna M. Koze, his wife, to plaintiffs contains the following grant:

“TOGETHER, with all and singular the improvements, ways, waters, water-courses, rights, liberties, [507]*507privileges, hereditaments and appurtenances whatsoever thereunto belonging or in anywise appertaining, and the reversions and remainders, rents, issues, and profits thereof; and all the estate, right, title, interest, property, claim and demand whatsoever of the said parties of the first part, in law, equity or otherwise, however, in and to the same and every part thereof.”

11. During the year 1956, the water table of the entire Saucon Valley, in which all of the above-mentioned tracts of land are located, was considerably lowered, apparently by the operations of the New Jersey Zinc Company, and the farmhouse well and the private well of the defendant went dry. The well of defendant went dry two or three months after the farmhouse well.

12. The New Jersey Zinc Company placed two 1,000-gallon tanks next to each of the three houses after the water table dropped.

13. That later in 1956, defendant connected his system to a creek running through the property and commenced to supply creek water to all three houses to November 1960.

14. In November 1960, defendant, at his own expense, dug the farmhouse well from a depth of 200 feet to a depth of 321 feet where he struck water.

15. That the water system operated by defendant which has served plaintiff’s water, is a power-forced feed system involving the use of an electric submersible pump and an extended system of pipe line.

16. That the cost of deepening the original farmhouse well and the supplying of a new pump therefor was done at a cost to defendant of $2,600.

17. That plaintiffs could have a well dug and have water upon their own property at a cost of $1,931.25.

18. That plaintiffs have never contributed anything towards the support, maintenance and repair of the [508]*508system which supplies them with water when the same was operated by George W. Koze or since the same was operated by defendant herein.

19. That the farmhouse well, if it existed at its former depth of 200 feet, would be dry, useless and of no benefit to anyone.

20. That defendant’s home under the present situation receives inadequate water and inadequate pressure.

Discussion

It is undenied that the controversy before us had its inception with the lowering of the water table in 1956, an act over which neither of the parties had control. Previous to this event it is clear that the farmhouse well on the property now owned by defendant was adequate to supply the needs of the premises now owned by plaintiffs. In our judgment the acts and the intention of defendant’s father were such that an easement was created. Plaintiffs’ rights must, then, be examined in the light of the general definition of easements. 12P. L. Encyc., Easements §1 states:

“An easement is a liberty, privilege or advantage which one may have in the lands of another without profit. It cannot be an estate or interest in the land itself or a right to any part of it, but consists in rights of enjoyment in or issuing out of another’s land. It has also been described as a right to use another’s land for a precise and definite purpose not inconsistent with the owner’s general right of property.”

Defendant concedes that if an easement is found to exist, the court could properly order defendant not to interfere with any pipe lines or valves on defendant’s premises for this is the type of servitude which is contemplated in the law of easements. An example of such a situation is found in Kloock v. Rusnack, 164 Pa. Superior Ct. 67. In that case Caroline Johnson deeded [509]*509a one-acre tract to the trustees of a church upon which stood a single family dwelling house whose water was supplied by a spring located across a roadway, which divided her 80-acre farm in half. She retained ownership of the balance of the farm.

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Related

Heffley v. Lohr
27 A.2d 275 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1942)
Kloock v. Rusnack Et Ux.
63 A.2d 377 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1948)
Geissel Et Ux. v. Supplee
95 Pa. Super. 358 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1928)
Ozehoski v. Scranton Spring Brook Water Service Co.
43 A.2d 601 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1945)
Yezioro v. North Fayette County Municipal Authority
164 A.2d 129 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1960)

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Bluebook (online)
31 Pa. D. & C.2d 504, 1962 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 50, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bowley-v-koze-pactcompllehigh-1962.