So last week I was reading up on rain water harvesting, and I happened upon a government leaflet on the topic. I'll be honest I've since lost it and can't quote exactly so you'll have to take me on my word at this. The intro was by the current environment secratary and make a long story short it eluded to an admission that water supply over the coming years is going to become more and more of an issue.
I was wondering what steps you guys would take towards this. I know you could stockpile bottled water buy that seems potentially very expensive.
The biggest one thing you can do to secure your water supply is to catch as much rainwater as you can. At this place I have always had a minimum of 4 120L waterbutts. Once I'm settled in my new place, I want to improve my water capture system to be more or less self sufficient if need be.
Im looking at getting a couple of new recycling bins of the council and using them to store water in via the downspouts.
Probably not food grade but I dont care I'm not super fussy about those things.
water butts, water butts and more water butts, you really cant have too many and the water is free-out of the sky, in a country that gets more than its fair share of rainfall its a no brainer.
I'm storing 1 months water, but also will be getting a water butt or 2 in the next few months.
The stored water is to last in times of dryness. But they'll be filled up when the waterbutts are 75% full.
We live in a floodplain (well according to the Environmental agency it's a flood plain).
My neighbour has put down a bore hole. 40 feet of 2 inch galvanised pipe hammered into the ground with a fence post wacker and a commercial spear tip (sand spear) fitted to the end.
He stopped every 2 foot after 16 feet and dipped the pipe until the rod came up wet.
Topped up with a self priming pump, he can now draw out 2 buckets an hour.
Total cost £55. for pipe, and £60 for the pump.
oh dear! a floodplain, there called a FLOODplain for a reason
I've just had to fit a water sump to drain the f***ing water off the garden when it rains, because the soil, about 1 foot of it sits on solid clay and if you walk on the grass its like the somme in an hour.
It seems to be working fine, so I'll dig a trench and line the bottom of the garden with them so theorecicaly I'll have a lined trench with a planked lid to let water drain in 20 feet long by 1 foot deep by 1 foot wide.
Not for drinking though because it'll have chickn shit in it and all sorts of garden crap, but if I instal some sort of hand pump it'll probably do for watering the veg, and I'm hoping it will be good growing water with it havingthe chook poop in..
(14 April 2012, 14:01)mikebratcher69 Wrote: [ -> ]I've just had to fit a water sump to drain the f***ing water off the garden when it rains, because the soil, about 1 foot of it sits on solid clay and if you walk on the grass its like the somme in an hour.
It seems to be working fine, so I'll dig a trench and line the bottom of the garden with them so theorecicaly I'll have a lined trench with a planked lid to let water drain in 20 feet long by 1 foot deep by 1 foot wide.
Not for drinking though because it'll have chickn shit in it and all sorts of garden crap, but if I instal some sort of hand pump it'll probably do for watering the veg, and I'm hoping it will be good growing water with it havingthe chook poop in..
snap mate, top half of garden about 12ftX12ft had 3 &a half tons of woodchip on it(we dont do lawns, cant see the point of them) and its disappeared into the ground in 2 years, garden is on SOLID ball clay, hardly any soil at all, which is why we had to build raised beds to grow veg in.
At present there is plenty of water here. The burns are still flowing rapidly. Should they start showing signs of diminishing I will run a few hundred gallons through the water filters. We are very lucky here. And, rain is forecast for the next week. Kenneth Eames.