Homestead mailing list

[Rob <becida AT comcast.net>]

Running out of water is serious stuff, historically peoples have 
migrated because of that. If the new sub-division did get your water 
you end up with as much justice as you can afford but no water.
You don't want to forget that your hand dug well could just start 
producing again...

The neighbor has a well so water is still available if you can afford 
a well. Rain water harvesting has been used in a lot of places, the 
Texas book on rainwater harvesting is one of the main sources and you 
can download that.
I guess the next question would be do you get enough rain for 
rainwater harvesting? The book should deal with that, roof sizes, 
storage tanks, etc. I'd look in the yellow pages and do some calling 
to see if there is a company that 'sells water', the Olympia yellow 
pages has listing under "Water- Bottled and Bulk". Getting clean 
fresh water delivered might get you by for awhile.

In Hawaii, on the Big Island there is a dry side and people there 
harvest rainwater (there is a Hawaiian Rain Water Harvesting book 
on-line too), if you fly by there you see that they store the water 
is above ground swimming pools. I went to 
http://www.backyardcitypools.com/swimming-pools/Pool-Volume-Calculate.htm 
and saw that a standard 12' round pool holds almost 3,000 gallons.

Good luck Sage!

Rob
becida AT comcast.net






At  10/8/2009 11:03 AM,Sage Austin | Eureka! Design wrote:
> My feelings exactly. Plus I heard two of the three municipal wells have
> gone dry. So even at that exorbitant price it's becoming a scarce local
> commodity.
>
> Our neighbor is generously giving us free sulfurous water from a hose
> passed through our fence (we are giving them free eggs), as that's about
> the only well in our immediate community that's functioning. But it's
> proving too harsh on our skin and hair after two months. I smell worse
> after showering than before! We can continue to use it on our reduced
> size fall garden, and buy drinking water, but bathing is the main issue.
> So rain seems like the best option at this point, especially since we
> are finally getting some.
>
> Leslie wrote:
> > River water, ughhh.  Although after Hurricane Andrew, we resorted 
> to bathing in the local canal - that is until we saw dead cows and 
> other animals that had been blowing into the canals floating by.......
> >
> > Our well wasn't dry, and after we got a generator we were able to 
> get water up, which we treated the drinking portion with a few 
> drops of chlorine for the first few weeks just in case there was 
> any kind of groundwater problem with the storm surge.  We stopped 
> though and didn't get sick.
> >
> > Is it possible a neighbor with a good well would let you pull 
> water up and accept payment in terms of kilowatts used on the meter 
> from begin to end pumping.. and then multiplied times the kW rate on the bill?
> >
> > .50 a gallon is outrageous....
> >
> > 500gal x .50 = $250......... I know I was pulling up a lot more 
> in terms of gallong than that per DAY during the hottest part of 
> the summer and my impact on the electric bill per MONTH was way way 
> less than that !
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ________________________________
> > From: Sage Austin | Eureka! Design <eureka AT hctc.net>
> > To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
> > Sent: Thu, October 8, 2009 1:25:14 PM
> > Subject: Re: [Homestead] [BULK] Re: Farm Update
> >
> > We were thinking about getting a small tank for the back of our small
> > farm truck and hauling water to the larger tank from friends. We don't
> > have a trailer. We can buy it from the municipality north of us but it's
> > .50/gal ouch! Even hitting up a variety of friends I fear we will wear
> > out our welcome. Supposedly, the river authority is 'looking the other
> > way' when households without water draw from the river without a permit.
> > But that water is pretty skanky, full of bacteria, dead organisms, etc,
> > and as more of us lose our wells I fear it's becoming a detriment to the
> > ecology.
> >
> > If you do get a chance to ask them, also see what they are paying per
> > gallon if they are being charged for it. I'm curious as to going rates.
> >
> > Leslie wrote:
> >
> >> What I've seen out here is people have large plastic tanks on a 
> trailer.  Looks like they drive somewhere to get water and then 
> haul it back.  >From where?  Don't know.  If I spot the neighbor 
> I'll ask, as I heard before they put a well in that is what they did.
> >>
> >>
> >> Anyone out there having water delivered in lieu of a well?
> >>
> >> --Sage
> >>
> >>
> >> ______________