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["Sage Austin | Eureka! Design" <eureka AT hctc.net>]

Thanks, Rob. Now that's a fun idea, like Petticoat Junction (any of you 
remember that one?!) we could just get a pool and swim in our storage! 
I'd vote for that. I wonder how hard it would be (or, can it be done?) 
to heat an outdoor above ground pool here where the winters are somewhat 
mild. I could just swim to get clean! (I have a real swimming deficit, 
having had no river all summer to play in).

I just started a subscription today of spring water delivery service to 
the house. This will help some, but remember we aren't used to paying 
for water other than the electricity that ran our pump. Guess we didn't 
budget for a rainless day!

Yes, there is abundant gypsum water $15,000 below us. Who knows what the 
future weather patterns of rain will be? In the last four months we have 
set records for the highest highs, longest continuous highs running, the 
longest period without rain, the coolest lows, and yesterday the highest 
low to date (77 degree low).  In 2002 and 2004 I lived through 25" and 
29" rains in a 24 hour period bringing two 500 year floods. I remember 
saying "will it ever stop raining?" We are currently under a flash flood 
watch because of soil saturation. Oh the irony!

I have the Texas rainwater harvesting book. Our friends up the road just 
had a professional company install theirs (and they are on a producing 
well) so we can see how they do. I think the main point would be to set 
up a system that could catch rain or have delivery depending on our 
fickle weather. We tend to get downpours, so you can only catch as much 
as you can store, and storage is the expense.

Rob wrote:
> 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
>