Thursday, September 3, 2009

The Precious Drop

Melbourne has been on Stage 3a Water Restrictions now, oh, it feels like forever, and it looks like the drought we're experiencing will be sticking around for sometime - read: forever!

We love our garden, such as it is, so we decided to take steps to make sure it survived the drought

This is not the most picturesque section of our backyard, but it certainly is a vital part of it. It's our number 1 water tank and it's tucked in a corner right up the back. It takes all the water from the carport roof and took no time at all to fill during the first downpour we had after it was installed. We've had it now for a few years and Dear Husband connected a hose to it for the overflow, as well as a pump and tap so we could water the garden.



These are the other two water tanks in the yard. They're down the blindside of the house, where we've planted all the shrubs and plants that we didn't want or have room for in the rest of the garden.

The tanks are called Waterwalls and they're quite slim so they'll fit in a small area and still give you room to move around.

These also have a pump connected and supply water to the toilet in the front bathroom. They're also linked by a large hose so one can flow into the other if the water level gets low.


The green hose in the front yard is also connected to these two tanks and works as the overflow outlet into the front garden.


The large black hose is actually connected to the outlet of the shower in the front bathroom. We didn't want to waste all that water and see it just go down the drain, so instead the hose takes it straight onto the grass in the front yard.

We have a similar system in the backyard, with all water from the washing machine being drained into a large container and then emptying, via two hoses, onto the back garden. I buy a low phosphate, plant and mineral based washing powder that's friendly to the garden and it washes everything just fine. The garden is also thriving, so we must be doing something right.

4 comments:

  1. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and I applaud the action you have taken. Your garden looks green & healthy and that's a credit to you both. Jan& James installed a monster tank under their back patio during their renovation and were delighted when rain started falling....(was that months, years ago?)....but I'm so sad to see Melb now when I visit, so dry and parched not the green jewel it once was

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  2. That would be a fabulous idea for everyone to start conserving on water.Give yourselves a pat on the back job well done. Your kitty is cute!
    Traci

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  3. I can't believe that Melbourne is in such drought. You seem to always have rainy days. My Melbourne cousin emails me often and she is always talking about the rain! We are having our first rainy day here today after a long dry winter but our dams are full due to all the rain we had in April (the rain that highlighted all my house water problems - thank goodness). Well done with all your tanks! Chin up - it will rain. A-M xx

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  4. Thank you for your comments White Dove, TRaci and A-M

    It does seem to be always wet here, but the little bits of rain that fall just make things soggy under foot, and don't actually have an impact where we need it most - in the catchment areas, which are under 30% full. It will rain again. I know it will. But when is the question. We just keep our fingers crossed.

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