Ways to recycle water in drought conditions? (1 Viewer)

[rustybucket]

I wonder with the advances climate change and current and future drought, is there new plumbing equipment, water storage, water reclomation that can recycle water and reuse it for other purpouses? This may be a new form of revenue stream for those in the house renovation business.

We British columbians have been lucky for the past year. Tons of snow in the mountains and lots of rain.
But, it has not all been positive. 50% of all food is imported into BC with a good chunck of it comming from Califronia. Same with Toronto so, it is having a indirect impact on the locals.

Anyone here growing vegtibles with a hydroponic greenhouse and have sucsess with it?

 

[roadstr6]

Everybody I have ever known who knew anything about hydroponics used the method for growing...uh...other stuff.

 

[TXLX100]

I have researched a bit since I live in Texas and it's been pretty harsh drought for the last few years. If you don't have an HOA snooping, an outdoor cistern and roof water collection could be very useful. When it rains hard, I watch at least a couple hundred gallons come down off just one corner of my roof. If I collected water off my entire roof, it could add up quickly. That alone could probably save me a couple hundred dollars a year in landscape and garden watering on a small lot. My city charges sewage on every bit of water I use regardless if it's for the yard.

It's time around here for the government to step in and start offering at least some inventive to for people to start installing things like cisterns and low water land scape.

 

[warpdriv]

1000 sqft of roof will collect 600gal per 1 in of rain

 

[D'Animal]

This is going to sound real stupid but, check your local area to see if collection of rain water is legal. In certain parts of the country (USA) there is a mathmatical calculation on how much, if any, rain water you can collect. It depends on the size of the property and the footprint of the structures under roof, etc.

 

[rustybucket]

BTW, Sandiago is undergoing the construction of a huge Reverse Osmois plant and I think it is the first one in the country.

 

[rustybucket]

Everybody I have ever known who knew anything about hydroponics used the method for growing...uh...other stuff.

Just google "Large scale hydropoinics lettace"

 

[Brentbba]

BTW, Sandiago is undergoing the construction of a huge Reverse Osmois plant and I think it is the first one in the country.

Assume you mean San Diego? Yes, they've got one and there's another one still battling f'ing Coastal Commission and red tape here in the f'ing PRK (Peoples Republik of Kalifornia) for Huntington Beach I believe.

 

[LAMBCRUSHER]

forget whatever you know about Hydroponics. Then go here...http://www.cch2o.com/

the systems we build operate on the premise that one uses LESS nutrients, and that the water can then be used for the entire cropping cycle with only topping off required. NO DRAIN, NO RINSE. AND because 95% of all farming in the US is done convensionally, we are also working on the constant drip soil system that will give any farmer the ability to know the exact amounts of water and nutes his crop will need before he even plants.

 

[Enigma]

http://io9.com/5907101/so-you-need-to-drink-your-own-urine

 

[mudbludger]

I live in the desert, give this a look

http://www.backyardaquaponics.com/Travis/IBCofAquaponics1.pdf

 

[jhamby]

I have projects here in Uganda that run completely on rain water, even during dry season. We collect thousands of liters through gutter systems into tanks, both above and below ground. Filter it however you like, and you have water.

 

[LAMBCRUSHER]

in the US, many local governments view rain water as a municipal resource and to catch it in a barrel from your gutter is considered diverting government property...

 

[e9999]

on the easy side of things, I did once use graywater from the washing maching to irrigate an older orange tree as an experiment. Lo and behold, the thing took off and started to grow and give fruit like crazy...

FWIW, Santa Barbara built a fairly large RO desal plant something like 20 or 25 years ago at enormous expense. Ended up producing water at something like 1000x more expensive per gal than state water. Was never used. Gubmint work for you...

 

[Brentbba]

Eric - SB ought to look at taking that desal plant out of mothballs regardless of cost. You may need it before too long!

 

[e9999]

if I recall correctly, they surplused off parts of it, so don't know if it's still remotely close to operational. More government thinking for you...

Of course in the Middle East, they use Desal plants a lot, cost be damned, since it's paid for by gas-guzzling americans (like us)...

 

[TXLX100]

I have researched a bit since I live in Texas and it's been pretty harsh drought for the last few years. If you don't have an HOA snooping, an outdoor cistern and roof water collection could be very useful. When it rains hard, I watch at least a couple hundred gallons come down off just one corner of my roof. If I collected water off my entire roof, it could add up quickly. That alone could probably save me a couple hundred dollars a year in landscape and garden watering on a small lot. My city charges sewage on every bit of water I use regardless if it's for the yard.

It's time around here for the government to step in and start offering at least some inventive to for people to start installing things like cisterns and low water land scape.

I was talking with my buddy the other day about collecting rain water. I took my water bill and priced it per gallon (including sewage which is applied to every gallon purchased) and it came out to something wild like I would need to collect 15,000 gallons of water to break even every $100 I spent on a collection system. I'd have to fill up a 50 gallon storage 300 times to break even. It won't rain in Texas that many times before I die.

Thank goodness for cheap water.

 

[LAMBCRUSHER]

I was talking with my buddy the other day about collecting rain water. I took my water bill and priced it per gallon (including sewage which is applied to every gallon purchased) and it came out to something wild like I would need to collect 15,000 gallons of water to break even every $100 I spent on a collection system. I'd have to fill up a 50 gallon storage 300 times to break even. It won't rain in Texas that many times before I die.

Thank goodness for cheap water.

enjoy while it lasts...

 

[davegonz]

enjoy while it lasts...

Yep, I have a 2500 gallon plastic storage tank that I set up when I was on well water. Now that my neighborhood has city water, I'm going to use the well water to water the lawn. I'm also thinking of supplementing the well water with rainwater caught off of my roof using the same tank. I just need to figure out a good way of keeping the damn oak leaves out.

 

[Corbet]

If America could break its addiction to green grass especially in the west we would use much less water in residential areas.