The Water Page

Water is a precious resource. Having water capture and storage capacity on site is a primary element of suburban conversion. With the passage of time, this kind of home water system will look better and better. My system is only for irrigation but over time, will include water for drinking as well.

Water issues are becoming ever more defined all over the world. The potential for global instability because of water shortages is increasing constantly. Already much of the world is water stressed, including many parts of the United Sates. That includes humid as well as arid areas. With the increasing value of water as a commodity, privatization issues will become ever more acute. This is a worrisome prospect. Water controlled by entities with corporate values should be of concern to everyone.

My system is very simple and passive. The two 1600 gallon tanks [from Wilbur Ellis near Corvallis] are above ground. There are no pumps, all is gravity. Although my 1/4 acre is flat, there is a surprising amount of pressure even with the tanks less than a foot above ground level. I did have to re plumb the front gutter to flow east instead of west. That is not difficult. One place to go around a corner I did have to modify a gutter to fit a downspout elbow. The front tank is located just a convenient 8 foot angle down from the existing downspout drain. The backyard tank requires about 28 feet of downspout acquaduct from the downspout drain. There are three angles as the water course follows an exterior wall. The joints between sections are caulked with exterior latex caulk and the sections are suspended by small wires from small hooks screwed into the house siding. Even a modest drizzle finds its way into the tanks.

How far into the summer can I go? With limited experience with the system [this is my first year with both tanks leak free], my speculation is that with close to average rainfall in the summer, I could last the entire season. That is with careful watering, mulching, much done by hand. Even seeds and seedlings can be arranged in a depression in the soil so all are in the same basin so water does not run off in a not so productive way. Much less than average rain during the summer and I will need city water. Another 1500 gallons would increase the independence a great deal. One inch of rain on 1000 square feet is 550 gallons so filling my tanks is not a problem in the winter time, 4 to 5 inches will fill my tanks.

Using gray water would be a great help. I do use kitchen sink water already. Laundry water would help, bath water would help. Being aware of the potential for fecal bacteria contamination suggests caution with bath water. Of course, the Chinese have used "nightsoil" for 100s of years. Solid research is recommended for gray water use beyond kitchen sink and laundry. Any effectively recycled water will add to off the grid water for irrigation.

Distributing water from tank to garden I use several methods. For fixed location perennial like blueberries, raspberries and grapes, I use half inch pvc tube with smaller laterals. The laterals can be located exactly where you want them, even below mulch level. These tubes flow from the tank via a manifold, each tube having its own on off switch. For veges, I use a watering can which I dip in strategically located 50 gallon barrels in the back yard. These barrels are filled by gravity from the large tanks untill the tank level becomes too low in the tanks. Careful not to let the barrels overflow. The process is a bit labor intensive but makes use of water very efficiently.

My water features also are used in the irrigation scheme. The act like the barrels. I dip the watering can into the small pools, one each in the front and back yards. Refilling the 300 to 400 gallon pools has a pleasant effect. The pvc tubes from the tanks are postioned to flow out over flat cement blocks [my former driveway] and then drop about a foot into the pools. A delightful on demand waterfall! The water features are also the core of modest but amazingly attractive habitats. Rough blocks from the cut up driveway make wonderful borders to the pools and stacked on top of each other, low walls, the highest - 4 to 5 blocks- are the locations of the waterfalls.

Currently, I have a project collaborating with the local municipal utility. They have a water conservation department that is very keen on rain water storage. I am keeping a weekly log of how my tanks go up and down during the dry part of the growing season, June to October. This info will be useful in helping to evolve strategies to encourage others to collect and store rainwater.

Managing the rain water is a lot of fun. It is practical, it is strategic. It is a learning experience. The practice will become far more common.

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