Mains water supply on allotments.

[bazzaboy]

If your allotment has mains water supply how is it paid for and how do you minimise excessive use/wastage? Currently our allotments have no mains water supply so you have to collect what you can off sheds/greenhouse roofs or cart it down (a particular problem this summer!) Adjacent playing fields are to have a new ‘pavilion’ which will have mains water and this development offers an opportunity to get a mains supply to the allotments. But the big objection is how it can be costed and excessive use/wastage (hosepipes, seep-pipes, taps left running etc) avoided. So interested to learn how other allotments control and pay for mains water usage.... Many thanks for any tips. bb.

[bikermike]

We have mains water.
It is piped to standpipes round the site, they are turned off over the winter.
We pay an amount representing our agreed rate per year, and then a surcharge for going over. I don't know if we have ever paid the surcharge.

there are strict prohibitions on using unattended hoses and everyone sticks to them.

I suspect it's historical, I can't imagine any water company agreeing to such a thing now unless they have to.

But I'd guess a set of rules and maybe push taps that self-close

[ESBkevin]

We have water troughs set along the central wide walkway. They are for general use and included in the cost of the annual rent (£44 iirc). No hosepipes allowed but two years ago concession was given to have water butts filled from our shed roofs.
It means all watering is done by hand/watering can. the best technique I've developed is the wheelbarrow with two of those large plastic tubs and a watering can carrying about 30-35 litres at a time. It reduces the trips to the troughs but still has to be poured by hand at the other end.

[bikermike]

how do they stop you having waterbutts from your shed roofs?

I have found in this dry weather that I actually do better with watering cans. I fill a big blue barrel in the middle my patch with a hose, then use a watering can from there. If I use the hose direct, it's either too powerful or too diffuse.

re carrying water - you can buy special bags to fit in wheelbarrows to hold water - have you tried them?

[Jay-ell]

The water on out plot comes out of the rent.

Most of the taps are on the main path and shared by several plot each so that sort of regulates the amount of water people use as the next plot will be nagging to get their turn - that and the fact that if you turn your back those little tap adapters have a habit of going missing.

When the water was put in many years ago some plot holders were on site and when asked "Where are the taps going" also pointed to the back of their plots so some of the plots have their own taps (including one of mine) but I doubt that you'd get away with this now.

[bazzaboy]

We have water troughs set along the central wide walkway.

So are those open troughs, ESBkevin, kept topped up by a valve/ballcock system? Hand/watering and no (or very restricted) hosepipes seems to be an essential component. Thanks for all responses. bb.

[Jay-ell]

My first plot in London was on a large site (several hundred plots) which had dip tanks - water tanks trickle charged through a float valve large enough to get 2 large watering cans in at a time. These tanks were open to the air and during hot weather water would evaporate and be lost plus insects, small animals and birds could be trapped in them when they came to drink. If going for dip tanks I'd suggest looking at something with a hinged lip to stop this from happening.

[Thelma Sanders]

We have stand-pipes but aren't allowed to use hose from them except to fill up water butts for the plots furthest from the tap and to help disabled people. The cost is included in the plot rent.

This was working ok except over the last year or 2 we have noticed people filling up 1000L IBC tanks and using underground leaky pipes. Crafty and not really following the spirit of the rules, so no doubt, the council, will have a look at the water bills and put the rent up to cover the extra water usage....
It's not really fair, but I would rather always have access to water

[bazzaboy]

My first plot in London was on a large site (several hundred plots) which had dip tanks - water tanks trickle charged through a float valve large enough to get 2 large watering cans in at a time. These tanks were open to the air and during hot weather water would evaporate and be lost plus insects, small animals and birds could be trapped in them when they came to drink. If going for dip tanks I'd suggest looking at something with a hinged lip to stop this from happening.

Thanks for the technical term "dip-tank", Jayell. I was wondering about insects (particularly as I'm very allergic to mozzie bites ). Can't quite see our authorities agreeing to dip-tanks - hazard to children etc - but they do offer another option. Currently bikermike's push taps and hand-watering only seem to be the best option (except someone's bound to improvise a push-tap clamp or hosepipe at 4a.m.). Interesting conundrum!

[Jay-ell]

Toilet Cisterns - or something like them.

Stick the watering can underneath and flush - fills the can quickly then slowly refills the cistern so you can water then come back for a refill.

[bazzaboy]

We have stand-pipes but aren't allowed to use hose from them except to fill up water butts for the plots furthest from the tap and to help disabled people. The cost is included in the plot rent.

This was working ok except over the last year or 2 we have noticed people filling up 1000L IBC tanks and using underground leaky pipes. Crafty and not really following the spirit of the rules, so no doubt, the council, will have a look at the water bills and put the rent up to cover the extra water usage....
It's not really fair, but I would rather always have access to water

Thanks Thelma Sanders, yes some already have 1000L tanks and probably leaky water-butts.... Because there's no services at all we only have to pay a token rent at the mo, there will doubtless be some objections if it goes up to realistically cover water charges. Sorting out the rules is one problem but monitoring them another: I'm beginning to think NOT having mains water is a good idea! On the other hand and despite the cheap rental we have spare allotments because folk won't take them on without services. I did investigate a borehole (which with permissions would evidently be cheap) but cost of the borehole was £7000 and when I checked the accounts we were approximately £6999 short!

[ESBkevin]

So are those open troughs, ESBkevin, kept topped up by a valve/ballcock system? Hand/watering and no (or very restricted) hosepipes seems to be an essential component. Thanks for all responses. bb.

Yes ball valves and lift off tops to keep debris out.

[Bluenowhere]

We have dip tanks, look galvanised to me but I’m no metal expert but they don’t rust. Fed from mains with ball cock controlling level. We have hinged lids on them to keep our wildlife, leaves etc, stained ply, nothing fancy. Water turned off/drained in winter. No hoses rule from tanks, I suspect to stop people messing with the gubbings to try to connect a hose to the intake rather than to stop syphoning.

Can have and most people do also have water collection off their sheds, can use a hose from them if you want.

Most people do multiple cans from tanks using wheelbarrow or a container - to save journeys to/from trough, they are every 4 or or plots on one side of the path so each would be expected to serve 6-8 plots. Main problem is they don’t fill quickly enough at ‘peak’ watering times. Most people are reasonable and if filling big containers then they stop or move to a different tank if there are people using watering cans directly.

Cost included in rent, and I suspect the nature of the tanks limits the maximum usage of the site in its own right.

[Bluenowhere]

On the children falling in note ours are quite narrow, just wider than a watering can on its side about knee high and 2 foot long. I suppose a small child could go headfirst into it if they really tried to but in my opinion if they are that small they should be supervised as there are far more dangerous areas out of immediate sight, a big ditch, bee hives etc on our allotments. They aren’t like a pond that they could fall in easily and people on our site are good at putting the cover back on when they have finished using them and being on the main path everyone can see them also our plots have a big fence and locked gates so only plot holders can get into the site.

As they are almost constantly used I’ve never seen any mozzies.

[bazzaboy]

Thanks Bluenowhere, very useful, I’ll pass comments on to the “Chair” (a Parish Councillor, there isn’t really a formal “association”). I like the dip-tank idea, it’s what I’ve accidently developed on my own patch for run-off from shed because “dipping” is so much faster than the usual water-butt taps…. But this Summer has been exceptional so shed-roof collections have long been exhausted. I’m about a mile away from allotments so have to take the car each time with water (4 x 40 litre canisters - 40 litres is about 6 stone, getting feeble, I no longer fill ‘em!) My allotment neighbour wanted to fill his wheelie-bin and walk it down lol…. I encouraged him to try it (because I knew a cubic metre of water weighs a ton!) – heavy stuff! In the usual UK summer we can usually get by with the occasional supplement but not this year. And as we have a few spare plots I know it would encourage others to give it a try…