|
|
re: buying land...what about water?
16 nov 1998
nancy padberg wrote:
>> >my husband and i did have a moment after moving into our house where we
>> >looked at each other and the driller was at 300ft and still no water...
>i actually just told my husband i wanted some rain barrels after we have
>gutters put in. here in western oregon rain is something we have a lot
>of... i don't think the bank would have given us a loan though, if that
>was the only water supply we had.
in the british virgin islands, where wells are brackish, one can't even
build a house without showing sufficient roof area and cistern volume
on the plans to ensure a reliable rainwater supply.
>this past summer we went for over 90 days without rain, the creek that
>had dried up only once in 13 years has now dried up twice in 13 years...
if a household of 4 could get by on 100 gallons of water a day during
times like that, a 9,000 gallon cistern would be sufficient, something
like a 10' cube or a 4'x12'x24' epdm lined box full of water. my water-
frugal friend in maine mostly lives alone with a 1,000 gallon cistern,
and he says he's never come close to running it dry in the last 12 years.
one might use something larger than 9,000 gallons, like a $500 24'
circular swimming pool inside a $1,000 greenhouse...
i wonder how the cost of buying a 10,000 gallon truck full of water
twice every 13 years compares to a $10k well, at a 5% interest rate.
a rational banker might favor this approach, with no groundwater
pollution risk.
nick
|
|
