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Post by kyredneck on Jun 29, 2015 15:35:13 GMT -5
"...You may not be aware of this, but many Western states, including Utah, Washington and Colorado, have long outlawed individuals from collecting rainwater on their own properties because, according to officials, that rain belongs to someone else. As bizarre as it sounds, laws restricting property owners from "diverting" water that falls on their own homes and land have been on the books for quite some time in many Western states. Only recently, as droughts and renewed interest in water conservation methods have become more common, have individuals and business owners started butting heads with law enforcement over the practice of collecting rainwater for personal use." www.naturalnews.com/029286_rainwater_collection_water.htmlI'd be in trouble if I lived out there. Are cisterns commonly in use out west? |
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Post by kyredneck on Jun 29, 2015 16:48:50 GMT -5
Wow, one big cistern:
".....In 1927..... the City of Houston built its first underground drinking-water reservoir - a concrete holding tank roughly the size of one and half football fields on Sabine Street, near Buffalo Bayou. But after decades of service, the reservoir sprang a leak that couldn't be found, much less stopped. So the reservoir was drained, and for years it sat unused: just an odd hill topped with hatches behind a Public Works building....."
What to do with Houston’s Cistern
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Post by steev on Jun 29, 2015 16:55:15 GMT -5
I think mostly not in Cali, but that is clearly going to change. I certainly intend rain-collection on the farm. My wells are shallow, 100' to 160', sulfur-free.
I could have "endless" water from a 400' well, but that would cost ~$200K; not gonna happen.
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Post by kyredneck on Jun 29, 2015 19:55:24 GMT -5
Wow, 200K. I built the cistern in 88 for 5K, but that was with some serious help labor wise from Dad, my brother, and a good block layer/mason friend of mine.
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Post by steev on Jun 29, 2015 21:16:55 GMT -5
I'm not saying that wouldn't be a good investment, but I'll never need so much water. I hope to put the place in a family trust, so it can't be sold off; maybe posterity will want that ag well; not my concern.
If the posterity dumps the farm, that's their decision; I'll be long gone and they can go to hell as they please; I am nothing if not a believer in free will and a believer in living with the results of your choices.
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Post by mskrieger on Jul 2, 2015 14:35:59 GMT -5
Oh kyredneck I like the looks of that water collection system. What kind of roof do you have? Asphalt tiles or something else? Do you worry about it contaminating the water? And is that galvanized aluminum in the water collection devices (um, formerly known as trashcans)?
I ask because I've been considering setting up this kind of system myself. We get so much rain here that we wouldn't even need that large a storage system...it's mostly so that I have peace of mind. And I kinda like the idea of having a completely off-grid house in the middle of a city. Getting off city water without a well would be sweet.
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Post by steev on Jul 2, 2015 19:22:22 GMT -5
I've seen systems in Israel where the rain ran from a flattish roof down to a cellar-cistern; very small footprint with such an installation.
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Post by kyredneck on Jul 4, 2015 0:07:28 GMT -5
mskrieger just now noticed your questions. I'll get back to you with more info and possibly more photos in a day or two. Trust me, this system is as clean or cleaner as city potable water mains and storage tanks. Galvanized water pipes is a very common thing. So is layers of gunk in the bottom of million gallon water tanks.
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Post by kyredneck on Jul 5, 2015 5:26:30 GMT -5
Oh kyredneck I like the looks of that water collection system. What kind of roof do you have? Asphalt tiles or something else? Do you worry about it contaminating the water? And is that galvanized aluminum in the water collection devices (um, formerly known as trashcans)? I ask because I've been considering setting up this kind of system myself. We get so much rain here that we wouldn't even need that large a storage system...it's mostly so that I have peace of mind. And I kinda like the idea of having a completely off-grid house in the middle of a city. Getting off city water without a well would be sweet. The roof is half & half; asphalt shingles and baked on enamel metal sheeting, and no, I don't worry about any components contaminating the water. Filter is made from galvanized metal which is perfectly acceptable for potable water.
I googled prefabricated concrete cistern and was surprised at the style and size selection there is available. The cylindrical ones double stacked (3000 gal) with each section holding 1500 gallons are common here (and is also commonly complained about not being big enough). There's even a precast 5500 gallon tank available.
When I first built the cistern in 1988 the roof of the house would supply 900 gallons of water with one inch of rain. That's probably more than doubled now due to renovations made since then.
It was ten years later when I built the shelter over it. 
The floor of the cistern is actually at ground level to the lower side. The whole thing was built into a bank with the excavation dirt finally being bermed around it.
July 2015. 
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Post by templeton on Jul 5, 2015 6:49:42 GMT -5
Ky, so green!
There are laws here preventing land owners from constructing dams -lots of farmers and residents downstream require streamflow to assure thier livelyhood , the rain is not evenly distributed.
interestingly, there are parallel laws REQUIRING new homes intercept all the water that falls on their roofs as part of the new 6 star sustainability rating for new homes...sounds strange, but actually makes sense...
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Post by mskrieger on Jul 6, 2015 12:35:29 GMT -5
Ky, nice pictures, thanks. We are actually in the process of cutting out an in-ground pool. The deep end is 6' deep by 6'x10'...I wanted to put a cistern in the hole but was worried about people walking over it. From your picture, foot traffic--nay, a picnic table--seems not to be an issue?
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Post by steev on Jul 7, 2015 0:15:33 GMT -5
My general concern is that I'd like my storage high enough that I'd not need to pump it out; 12' will get 25psi, which is plenty for drip, but it has to be all down-hill, of course. My problem is how to capture rain-run-off high-up enough to be gravity-fed. Pretty obvious to me that I need multiple systems, feeding different uses, and maybe power-fed storage in season, for height, for later passive use. Damn! Think I'm gonna have to be an engineer, like it or not. Oh, well; once I work this out, I can go back to playing in the dirt.
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Post by kyredneck on Jul 12, 2015 8:45:54 GMT -5
Ky, so green! There are laws here preventing land owners from constructing dams -lots of farmers and residents downstream require streamflow to assure thier livelyhood , the rain is not evenly distributed. interestingly, there are parallel laws REQUIRING new homes intercept all the water that falls on their roofs as part of the new 6 star sustainability rating for new homes...sounds strange, but actually makes sense... My wife grew up in the AZ desert. She says it is the 'smell' of green that she remembers most from visiting KY as a child.
I know there are some laws here, and for good reason, regulating the construction of dams on watersheds for farm ponds, but I would think anyone building a new home in the desert would be thinking of catching rainwater, even if it's only in rain barrels at each downspout. They're handy for everything.
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Post by kyredneck on Jul 12, 2015 8:48:35 GMT -5
Ky, nice pictures, thanks. We are actually in the process of cutting out an in-ground pool. The deep end is 6' deep by 6'x10'...I wanted to put a cistern in the hole but was worried about people walking over it. From your picture, foot traffic--nay, a picnic table--seems not to be an issue? These cisterns are made from concrete. I've parked automobiles on mine before the shed was built over it.  |
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Post by kyredneck on Jul 12, 2015 9:00:23 GMT -5
steev 2.31 ft water column equals 1 psi. Here in 'the hills of KY', a barn on a hill w/accompanying cistern will easily fill the bill for what you seek. So much so that a pressure reducing valve is often required at the house.
But if you don't have a 'barn on the hill', there's always these: non-electric.lehmans.com/hardware/Hand-Well-Pumps |
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