1100 gallon cistern Under the Front Porch

This is a shot with the lattice off.  Once it is put back on, this cistern is completley out of sight. The use is twofold, one to prevent water from running under the porch from the downspouts and 2) water is used to keep pool topped off elinminating strain on the primary water supply-- a well.

Cool News!

Back a few years ago, I had the honor of designing and installing an innovative rainwater collection system for the federal government's NOAA facility on Charleston, SC.  I recently came across some information where they won an award for the implementation. 

The Department of Commerce celebrated Earth Day this week with its 4th annual Energy and Environmental Stewardship Awards ceremony.  The department’s Energy and Environmental Stewardship Awards honor outstanding efforts in promoting environmental stewardship and energy conservation across the department. 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Ocean Service’s Coastal Services Center in Charleston, S.C., honored for installing an innovative rainwater harvesting system to redirect stormwater from roofs into native planting beds and a rain garden

See Story here

Quick Thought

An average 2000 sq ft home and 1 inch of rain

Equals 1250 gallons of water which is 781 toilet flushes on a modern toilet or 26 flushes a day for one month. 

News Media versus Webster-- Who is correct?

Disclaimer--  when I blog, I get excited so please do not beat me up for any grammatical errors.  I am not intending this to ever be published professionally.  It is simply written how I would speak it in person. 

My thinking today is that I don’t intend to talk generic theories related to harvesting rainwater as that has been done in many other places. (books, web sites etc) I do, however, want to leave that option open when it is relevant to this blog.  Particularly interesting and has been now for years is the subject of drought. 

I find it extremely interesting every year ( I saw a front page article again yesterday) of those who stand on camera or in front of a camera for printed media with the same look on their faces while speaking of a total loss to their livelihood due to drought. 

Let’s break this down as drought was always the primary reasoning for interest  when inquiring about rainwater harvesting. 

Webster defines this term as:

Definition of DROUGHT

1 : a period of dryness especially when prolonged; specifically : one that causes extensive damage to crops or prevents their successful growth

2 : a prolonged or chronic shortage or lack of something expected or desired

Looking at the first definition one can see that “a period of dryness especially when prolonged” is indeed vague.  3 days without rain would qualify as a drought as it is a period of dryness.  Most often officials do not drop the drought word until extreme results result from the last word of the first statement—prolonged.  In actuality, you can see that we actively live in a drought however it is a series of mini droughts or periods of dryness.  Moving on, prolonged is when drought becomes more noticeable to the common person in the form of water restrictions or farm reports where things are beginning to deteriorate which is explained in the last part of the definition following specifically.

That is the part of drought that everyone easily comprehends. 

Before a general discussion, let’s look at the second definition.  Again, we see the term prolonged which we understand but it goes on to say lack of something expected or desired.  Whoa, now we have a complex statement. 

Something in this arena is obviously meant to be water and water is the expected or desired subject. 

So let’s compare the long faces.  They expected and/or desired water and did not get it.  Makes sense to me.  But did they STUDY historical figures and gather data based on trends for their area? Probably not.  Let’s get desired out of the way.  That is always the case, I desire 1 inch of rain a week on my crops.  Good luck with that and really that word should be removed from the definition. 

Back to studying…. How many people have simply went out and planted acres upon acres of seed only to be devastated by lack of rain?  You would think not many would do such a foolish thing but obviously they do as we hear the same story every year.  So is it nature’s fault for the loss or is it the farmer’s fault for poor planning?  Article headlines--“Midwestern cattle farmers selling out due to no rain” “total loss to 8000 acres of corn” “feed prices to rise due to poor crop and drought”. 

This will continue to play out year after year until planning and study takes place prior to a seed or cow hits the field.  It has to. 

Let’s try this approach, pretend that you are a planter/grower.  You have looked at the weather precipitation trends for the last 100 years for your area.  Heck, now with GPS technology, you can see what hit your field all of those years!  You find that in the last 8 years, things have been hit and miss.  You find several good years and some bad ones during that time.  Let’s call it 50% good and 50% bad.  So, you decide to go all out and plant like you did 20 years ago hoping or desiring for the correct precipitation.  That is a bad plan or really no plan.  You are now banking on one word that we decided should have been thrown out—desired.  You would be better off playing the lottery to support your livelihood as that is simply what you are doing, taking a big chance. 

Now let’s use the same farmer or you and the same data.  Knowing you are facing a 50/50 shot of your desired outcome (good precipitation) you decide to alter the acreage planted.  Immediately one says but I can’t survive on less acres.  Look, 50% bountiful crop when things went well is way better than 100% loss in seed, fuel, time, stress and time spent doing the long face dance.  So maybe scale back, make better food and diversify?  This idea is probably not a chance to a conventional row farmer so the results continue to be the same.  That’s trending and that is same effort = same results.  Point is change something. 

A guy said to me one time at his farm, “My sprayers blow thousands of gallons of water. There is no way to supplement or back that up without rain.”  I stood there and looked at the number of buildings on his farm, all brand new metal buildings with combined roof space equaling an acre.  That’s only what I could see standing in one spot! When he gets one inch of rain, he is missing or losing 27,000 gallons of water and most of this is causing erosion and costing money in labor and fuel to keep grading the ruts out.  The site of his farm was also in an area that receives 50 inches of rain a year.  He would argue that fact for the rest of his life that it has never happened.  Granted now 1 inch of week but he gets 50 a year and that is recorded fact.  That’s 1.3 million gallons JUST FROM THE BUILDINGS that he is losing.  “no way to supplement without rain” was his initial response.  He is correct, there’s not (without the rain which he is totally overlooking in this sense) but there is a supplement with a plan.  Hold that water he does get and now he has the needed supplement. Again, 1.3 million gallons is way better than 0 gallons.  Odds are he can go way more than the 50% successful planting rate with this PLAN in place. 

In summary, I think the long faces that plague us each year and cause food prices to soar are indeed caused by a drought.-----A drought of knowledge and planning not a drought of water as defined by Webster.     

Curve Ball

You were surfing and stumbled upon this blog or you might have been looking for it?  If you have been farming rain a while, you most likely know me as well.  All of the above is a good thing. 

What happened to create this blog?  Well, I had a blog that was online (and still is) for many years.  As things ramped up faster and faster everything got faster and faster including a super smooth and flashy website professionally designed and maintained.  The old fashioned and simple blog became disconnected from the high speed side of the website.  That was a tragedy as I now have no access to it although it (blog) sits quietly in cyber space untouched and in neutral. 

That’s just a quick history nut shell of my blog days.  Now what, another one?  Well, life threw a massive curve ball--- A major one.  I was hitting every pitch until that curve ball and I have not “played” a play since then.  I walked off of the field that day wondering how I could ever help others, not in hitting the impossible curve balls, but in how to play the game. 

I think I have decided how.  I needed to start another blog.  Yes, me too, it seems a bit ancient at this point with texting now mainstream, Twitter etc.  However, it works for me for what I need.  Now I have no Twitter, no main URL website just this first post on this brand new blog of mine.  I am alone this time and will be, no team to help me, no posse of contractors, no long list of eager vendors to snap to my every wish or need, no…just me.  So what can I do? 

Moreover, as a reader you are saying (if you made it this far) what in the heck are you even talking about?  How does any of this so far have anything to do with collecting rainwater which is why I stopped by the blog? 

Well, for a long, long time I have indeed enjoyed harvesting rainwater.  So much that I stopped a full time occupation and started a business years ago in which all we did was install and design all sorts of systems for collection of rainwater and re use.  Was there a demand?  You bet.  Did the ‘other people’ think I was a fruitcake?  You bet!

I was extremely fortunate enough to work at all levels up to and including federal level installing, teaching, and designing theses systems.  I also was extremely fortunate to personally brief senators on capitol hill about rainwater!  So the answer is that I was in a very cool business until that curveball and no more business.  Wha la!  It ended abruptly.  All of those details could engulf pages of a blog or book and I really do not feel that any of it is value added to what I am now trying to do.  It was rough; we can leave it at that. 

So, I decided I simply have just way too much experience and knowledge obtained through the years to shelf it away from others who are just starting to collect rain or are currently doing so.  That, to me, is just the wrong thing to do.  My cell phone rang for over 2 years which indicates the thirst for knowledge still exists following the business closing which I didn’t change the number and that is my fault. 

It took a long time but I hope that I can now offer advice, how to materials or something to help others.  That’s my goal and this is the start.  I have no intentions or interest in big business, competition, days and days standing at trade shows, mergers, deals etc.  No, just simply providing how to information in a no nonsense way.  I have page after page of information that needs to be shared.  Trade secrets, short cuts, all of which I plan to share.  My long range goal will be to provide a manual or hip cards to both do it yourselfers and professionals. 

Let’s face it; this is an ancient practice and simple.  However, simple isn’t always easy. No, contrary to popular belief, Home Cheapo did not invent those poor excuses of a rain barrel which they sale for 90 bucks.  They simply rode the wave.  Many have ridden that wave and that is unfortunate.  With wave or trend riding, many consumers and end users are led astray with only the quick buck in mind and no knowledge gained. 

You can capture rain in a mop bucket—cost  $0.00. 

Let’s call it a day on this blog post.  I do not want to overdo it too fast.  Hello again if I know you and welcome if I don’t.  Scott