Water
Water, or the lack of it depends on what we grow each season and how we manage our household supply.All the water we use, in the house, orchard or vegetable garden falls from the sky into our catchment area.
How we manage the catchment area is very important. We use no chemicals in the garden or orchard and are very conscious of what we use in the house.
Other than the rainwater used in the house the rest of the water we use is ground water runoff that is collected in our three dams and two water holes.
Rainwater from the roofs is collected into two plastic 31,700 litre tanks and one galvanised iron 22,500 litre tank. The top photo shows one of the plastic tanks. There are several of the blue half barrels in the garden areas that the dogs and free range poultry use and the native birds also appreciate them in the hot summer months. The half barrels are also used when hand watering as it is quicker and easier to get water from them than to hold the watering can or bucket under a tap.
The two plastic water tanks are buried about a half metre in the ground as the roofs they collect water from are higher than they are.
The tanks are connected by an underground 40mm pvc pipe to a pump which pumps water to a 2,270 litre tank on a stand from where it is gravity fed to the house. Having a gravity feed system allows us to do away with a pressure pump that is activated everytime a tap is turned on in the house. This is important when running a solar power system. Contrary to what many people say, gravity fed household systems are more than suitable to other than those who want to flush themselves down the plug hole with a tremendous waste of water while they take their showers.
The 40mm pipe that connects the three tanks allows us to move water from tank to tank if the need should arise. For example, if we have drawn too much water from one tank and one of the others could overflow in a good rain we can open the valves on two or the three of them and transfer water to the tank with the lowest water level.
We also have a connecting pipe and valve between the dam water line and the rainwater line that would, if ever such a need arise, allow us to use rain water on the garden or orchard areas. This would only be done in times of drought when we needed to use water to keep trees alive. The setup also allows us to drain a rainwater tank if the water had not been used for several years and we wanted to replace it with fresh rainwater. We could also store dam water in one or two of the rainwater tanks and still pump clean rainwater to the overhead tank for use in the house from the remaining tank or tanks. In theory we have set the tanks and connections up so that we should be prepared for any situation relating to a drought or other water crisis.
Water collected in the dams is pumped through a 50mm underground pipe to a 22,500 litre concrete tank on the highest point on the property. From this tank it gravity feeds to a junction via the 50mm inlet from where it converts to a 40mm pipe and then to the vegetable gardens, orchard areas and for use in the flush toilet.
We have a petrol driven fire pump connected to the concrete tank in the summer months in case the need ever arises of having to fight a bush fire. The main dam also has a petrol driven fire pump that feeds the concrete tank and this pump can also pressurise the 40mm pipeline around the house in case of a bush fire.
The flush toilet in the house uses dam water all year round as a rainwater saving measure. Too often we hear of people having to buy and cart drinking quality water after running out of rainwater and yet they still have their toilet connected to their rainwater supply instead of their dam water.
The flush toilet waste passes through a septic system. To hopefully make better use of the water that is flushed away we have planted several fruit trees near the underground overflow in the hope they will access any moisture that passes through it.
Although we have not put it to the test and never hope to, we believe that we have storage for enough rainwater for over two years of general household use.
Local knowledge has it that there is underground water about 18 to 23 metres below the surface at the lowest point of the property. To get this water, if it exists, would mean the drilling of a bore and then pumping it to the surface. The water would more than likely be very brackish and not fit for use unless treated so it is not an option for the immediate future.
Our use of grey water has undergone several changes. At the present time (early 2006) it is discharged into an area of native trees and during 2007 we may plant some trees in a firewood lot and then irrigate them with grey water. Our use of greywater has not been a priority as irrigation water from the dam has been adequate since establishing the vegetable and orchard areas.
A lot of discussion has taken place about the use of grey water and nearly every man and his dog appears to have different ideas about its use and the effects it has on the environment. In the past we lived in a house where all of our grey water flowed into a shallow drain. Over a period of time grasses and other plants became established that eventually attracted birds and insects. Any water source as long as it does not contain poisons will benefit plants and ultimately create its own eco system.
The quality of grey water depends greatly on what chemicals are used in the home for cleaning purposes and what oils, fats or other items are used for cooking that will ultimately be flushed down the sink.
Citrus trees appear to thrive on grey water although if used over a long period of time you should be sure that the root areas should have a good flush with rain periodically or with water from another source.