Off Grid Water System - What Are Your Options?

By Buck Jones

Living off grid comes with its own advantages. You, for instance, will be living in very natural, unpolluted areas, whether you buy a house off grid or you choose to buy bare land to develop your homestead on. However, most aspiring homesteaders fear the water issue that comes with off grid living. If you have been relying on city water that was never disappointed you, then you most definitely are more likely to fear having to deal with no access to water once you make the move.

Cistern for harvesting rainwater. Wikipedia

But fortunately there are still options you can choose from when
it comes to off grid water system. A good water system will not only serve your water needs on the property, but also work very well during disasters as far as water goes. There is really nothing as good as being prepared for a bad day and this is what your off grid system should be all about. So what really are your options to have enough water even when living off grid?

Rain Catchment System

The good thing about rain barrel systems is that you do not have to pay for the water. All you have to do is get barrels and create a system right from your roof and you will have enough water to sustain your needs on your property. If you live in areas that can get quite cold thus risking frozen barrels, find a way that you can keep them in better temperatures to avoid such issues. You can build root cellars for them or bury them to counter the effects of very cold months. It is also worth considering a water purifying system for your rainwater so you can drink it with no worries at all. With a good rain catchment system, you only need medium rainfall to fill up your barrels and have enough to cater to your needs.

Well Water System

Digging up a well on your off grid property is a very viable long term water solution. If your land lies low on the water table, then digging the well will be very easy, but if not, then you may need to find an expert who can advise on which point is best for the well so you do not end up digging and missing water. Once the well is all dug up, you can then consider installing a hand pump to pull water up. A hand pump saves you lots of effort and time, especially with wells that are deep, but you can also look for other options for the well you find more suitable.

Cistern Water System

Cisterns make very good water options for an off grid property. One fill can serve your water needs for months and you can fill them up by pumping from the river, your well, rain water or getting a delivery. With this water option, you can choose above ground system or a below ground system. An above ground system gives you the option of carrying to the point of filling and then bringing it back, whereas cisterns below ground work amazing in cold climates because they are protected from freezing and are usually larger in capacity.


When looking for an off grid water system, it is important to consider your water needs on the property and also the climate so you can choose a system that serves all your needs effectively. I have been training for survival with these Survival Tools for over 10 years and I am amazed that so many ignore them.



For great tips visit my Survival Blog http://www.survivaldynasty.com/blog.
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Simple Soil Mixture Reverses Toxic Stormwater Effects

Study's implications point to benefits of utilizing green stormwater infrastructure to mitigate water pollution in urban and outlying areas.

Runoff at stormwater drain. Wikipedia

PUYALLUP, Wash.—A simple column of common soil can reverse the toxic effects of urban runoff that otherwise quickly kills young coho salmon and their insect prey, according to new research by Washington State University, NOAA Fisheries and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The affordable and remarkably effective treatment offers new promise for controlling toxic pollutants that collect on paved surfaces and wash off as stormwater into rivers, streams and the ocean. Polluted stormwater has been identified as a risk factor for many threatened and endangered salmon and steelhead and has caused die-offs of coho salmon in the Pacific Northwest.

The research builds on increasingly common building practices that promote natural infiltration of stormwater into the ground. It indicates that a “bioretention” system that first filters runoff through a basic soil mixture removes toxics lethal to aquatic life. Such systems are increasingly found in Washington State’s Puget Sound area as people build “rain gardens” that trap runoff before it gets to a creek or stream.

The research published in the journal Chemosphere examined the toxic effects of runoff collected from a major Seattle highway during storms. The untreated runoff killed all juvenile salmon exposed to it within 12 hours. But all fish survived in runoff filtered through the soil column of sand, compost and bark. The soil filtration also prevented reproductive damage to tiny insects salmon eat.

“This is a simple approach that can make a big difference in the quality of water flowing into our rivers and streams,” said Jenifer McIntyre, postdoctoral researcher at Washington State University and lead author of the new research. “In this case, the salmon and their prey are telling us how clean is clean enough.”

Researchers collected runoff from a four-lane Seattle overpass during six storms and transported it to Washington State University’s Research and Extension Center in Puyallup, south of Seattle, where the experimental soil treatment columns were set up. The 12 bioretention columns were 42 inches high and contained 60 percent sand, 15 percent compost, 15 percent shredded bark and 10 percent water treatment residuals, with half also planted with a common sedge.

Impervious surfaces and surface runoff (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Untreated runoff regularly killed aquatic insects such as mayflies but filtering the runoff through soil columns, with or without plants, “conferred complete protection against the lethal toxicity of stormwater runoff,” the scientists wrote. The polluted stormwater also quickly killed coho salmon, but all fish survived exposure to the same runoff after treatment.

“The positive effects on survival are really striking,” said Nat Scholz, manager of the Ecotoxicology Program at NOAA Fisheries’ Northwest Fisheries Science Center and a coauthor of the research. “This is an encouraging lesson for people working to reduce stormwater impacts to salmon habitats.”

Chemical analyses showed the bioretention treatment reduced toxic metals by 30 to 99 percent, reduced polyaromatic hydrocarbons that are byproducts of fossil fuels to levels at or below detection and reduced organic matter by more than 40 percent.

The scientists suggested that further research examine different soil mixes and the reliability of bioretention treatment over time. Additional studies could also examine whether soil filtration protects salmon from more subtle forms of toxicity, including effects on early development, the endocrine system and susceptibility to disease.

The new study is part of a longer-term research effort to develop inexpensive and effective clean water technologies. The work was funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (Region 10), NOAA’s Coastal Storms Program and the Russell Family Foundation.


Source: WSU News Washington State University.

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Rain Barrels: Small Investment, Big Benefits

Rain barrel on Philadelphia sidewalk

Winter seems to be lingering quite a bit this year, yet soon enough we'll be seeing a change to spring showers and sprouting gardens. With that in mind, it's a great time to be thinking about rain barrels - their importance in helping manage stormwater and how they can help you save on your water bill.

First, a bit on stormwater.

As communities expand with development, they become increasingly built up with impermeable surfaces such as big parking lots at big box stores. The result is that rain has few places to go; it hits the hard surfaces and just runs right off into our streams. In urban areas, stormwater management has become a critical issue because of the adverse impact from combined sewer overflows on a watershed and a city's clean drinking water. A rain barrel helps limit this because it holds that first bit of rain coming off the roof or your driveway and prevents it from running into sewers and streams and causing overflow pollution and erosion from high flows of water.

In addition to helping the environment, rain barrels enable you to harvest rainwater for use with watering plants, lawns, mopping floors, or washing cars. You don't want to use rainwater from runoff to drink or to water edibles in the garden - it may contain unknown contaminants. But there are a plethora of other uses. Likewise, as you conserve water, you'll also benefit from saving on your water bill. And in Philadelphia, the water department has gone as far as to provide free rain barrels and workshops to city-dwellers.

See the short video below from the EPA to learn more about the great dollar and environmental benefits of rain barrels - a simple and effective investment to conserve water, save money, and help the environment.

For more information about rain barrels, go to http://www.epa.gov/reg3esd1/garden/rainbarrel.html. And check out Home Science on Facebook for more articles about home energy and environment: www.facebook.com/energysmarts.

 

 

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