Water harvesting

[Shadylane]

But of course there is no shortage of water in this country, ...

Yes, you'd think. Yet the water companies still see fit to threaten us with hose pipe bans every time we have a summer with more than five consecutive sunny days

I get your point, but to me if water goes down the drain, when I can save it to water plants it's still a waste. You could use the same argument to say that throwing food on the compost bin isn't a waste because it will compost down and benefit the soil. But it's still a waste of food.

[Bigmallly]

But it's still a waste of food.

More a waste of money......................

[solway cropper]

Those reasons may be enough for some. But dont have the illusion that you are conseving valuable resources.

I've never been under the illusion I'm conserving a valuable resource. At 65 I don't have many illusions about anything! I live in Cumbria and we probably have more rain than anyone else in England but I still harvest rainwater for most of the reasons set out by others.

[Penellype]

I harvest rainwater for my blueberries, but I have to do it in an unconventional way because unfortunately the downpipe from my gutters is in a position where a water butt would block the drive. I have a cheap black dustbin in the garage which I fill with rainwater harvested from various plant trays which may or may not have plants in them at the time. I scoop the water out with an old margarine tub and even in the dry summer I managed to avoid having to give tap water to the blueberries. I'd like to do more because I am on a meter, but short of having a long and winding downpipe I don't think I can.

[WackoJacko]

I managed to scrounge a 1000litre IBC tank and put it on a couple of old pallets.
Was filled to the brim from my little shed roof ,following our wet spring.
Free water for my tates...lovely


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[Olorin2001]

When factoring the costs of water collection, you can go to the Met Office web site and get the average rainfall figures for your area - here in the sunny south we can expect 36 inches per year.
So each square yard of collection area can fill an IBC each year, of course to make things awkward the rain doesn't fall when you need it most and you use more in summer than winter.

[veggiechicken]

Totally off on a tangent but my neighbour has just had her first water bill after having a meter installed £300+
Apparently 2 other houses were also connected to her supply so she was billed for 3 properties. Do check your bills and see if they're realistic!!

[Feral007]

We pump out of the river up to the tank, then use the water from there. Owing to snakes liking the river banks, I try to conserve my use of water - every way I can! I have a couple of barrels off a shed downpipe, and one on the overflow of the house tank. Why waste it?

I have to pay for my pumping rights as a water licence and then they make me pay to look after the riverway...and then landcare does it for free for them :/ oh well.

But we are trying to work out ways to cheaply, slow down the water running down the hill above the garden.