Text 17813, 80 rader
Skriven 2007-07-09 21:36:06 av DAVE SACERDOTE (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av GLEN JAMIESON
Ärende: WATER  70709
====================
GJ> With the rainfall you get, you could probably become independent of
GJ> outside supply if you had a larger tank, or interconnected tank farm,
GJ> with a pressure pump to supply the house reticulation.

I would need cleaner tanks, too! [g] The barrel we're using is an 
ancient oak thing that was riddled with powderpost beetle holes
and was filthy from storage.  I scrubbed the hell out of it with
detergent and a stiff brush before knocking the staves back into 
place and resetting the hoops.  And the water it holds is tea
colored with the tannins etc. from the wood.

I'm not certain that going "off the grid" for water would be
economically feasible.  I do what I can to reduce wastefulness,
but staying connected to the city supply with rainwater collection
as a backup has advantages:

 - I don't have to do any of my own purification.  At the very
   least, I would have had to filter my water this spring.  The
   tree pollen counts here were amazing this year, and every time
   we would have a storm, I would have a thick cover of pollen 
   on top of the water (all that pollen settling on the roof, then
   being washed into the barrel, you know.)

 - Staying connected helps support the conservation efforts of the
   local water company through paying their rates.  That may sound
   rather silly, but after all part of what I pay them goes to
   educational programs and advertising supporting conservation
   and groundwater quality programs.  The water here in town is 
   excellent partially because it is deep well water from common
   wells in good, well-cared-for aquifers, and our rates support
   that.
 
 - Staying connected is cheaper!  I was actually paying MORE per
   quarter at this address BEFORE the water supply was actually
   connected, because unused connections to the grid are charged
   a quarterly "meter fee" of $35.  Once again, this fee goes
   at least partially to supporting conservation and water quality
   efforts.  I would have to pay this fee regardless of whether or
   not I was off the grid, because town ordinances state that if
   city water service is available on the street the homeowner MUST
   connect even if they are currently using a well for their water.

DS> (To keep down the mosquito population, I've treated the rainbarrel
DS> with a bacterial colony harmless to all living things save mosquito
DS> larvae.  It works marvelously, without chemical pesticides.)
 
GJ> That sounds like a most effective way of eliminating the mozzies, 
GJ> and better than the old kerosine/oil mixture dollopped 

The kero is very bad for groundwater; I would probably not have used
that method. (I had considered using vegetable oil to cover the water
before finding the natural control.)

GJ> Does it have a brand name?  I could then look for it around
GJ> here.  

The brand I use is Summit; they come in the form of small (5 cm
diameter) "cakes" that float atop the water and slowly release
bacteria-laden "food" into the water.  The larvae eat the food
and quickly die.  I was amazed when I first dropped the dunk
into the barrel, which was so filled with larvae that the water
seemed to squirm when one passed a hand over it!  The dunk soaked
up some water, and soon the larvae found it, swam to it, and 
"docked" along its edge, greedily feeding upon it.  In about
15 minutes, half the larvae in the water were dead.  In an hour,
there were no survivors.  I have much fewer mosquitos in the yard
now as well, since skeeters are still going to the rainbarrel to
lay eggs, which hatch and quickly die.

But don't look for a brand, Glen!  We might not have a specific
brand in common.  Look instead for the active bacteria: Bacillus
thuringiensis israelensis (Bti).  Surely there is an Australian
company manufacturing dunks which you can buy locally.



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