permaculture

["John Schinnerer" <johns@eco-living.net>]

Aloha,

Lots and lots (how's that for a scientific measurement? ;-) of people on
Hawai'i Island (a.k.a. the Big Island) are on catchment water, but they
mostly just chlorinate the heck out of it, and most often have a separate
filtered tap (those on- or under-counter units) for drinking water (to take
out the chlorine, of course...).  Most tanks there are open-top, with shade
cloth across to keep flora and fauna from settling to the bottom, so given
that starting point I can see why the do what they do.  I don't recommend
this approach.

I'll report on my closed-tank no-chemicals system when I get it in and
working later this winter, but I expect potable water from a simple
roof-wash diverter and maybe an easy-clean screen.

Second the comments on closed tanks taking care of themselves, with "stuff"
settling to the bottom and beneficial algae growing on the interior - the
aforementioned domestic water surface spring was fed into a tank like that,
never treated with anything, never had a problem.

John Schinnerer
---------------------------
Human Habitat Design
Cultural & Ecological Designing
johns@eco-living.net
http://eco-living.net