THE HOMESTEAD CISTERN

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A very important thing to keep in mind about your cistern's water collector is that the collection surface (the house or barn roof, in most cases) must be free of any material(s) which might pollute the water it catches. (A painted surface isn't suitable, since chips of the protective coating will inevitably wash down into the storage tank.)

To aid in keeping their collected water clean, most cistern owners install a "shut-off" (or short length of movable pipe) in their systems' downspouts. Then, during the first few minutes of a rain—when all the soot, bird droppings, etc., that have accumulated on the roof's surface begin to wash away—the runoff can be diverted away from the cistern. (This tainted water can be shunted to the garden or used in any way you'd use "gray water".) Shortly afterwards—when it has rained a few minutes and the water flowing through the downspout appears clear and clean—the shut-off can be switched back to direct the remaining portion of the shower or storm into the cistern.

The filter mentioned above is usually nothing more than a concrete enclosure (see diagram) that's divided into two sections by a partition reaching two-thirds of the way to the chamber's top. One of the two sections is left empty, while the other is layered full of filtering material(s) . . . usually gravel, fine sand, and/or activated charcoal. The idea is that as water flows from the downspout to the first (i.e., empty) section of the "filter box", bits of leaves, dirt, etc., will settle out . . . then—as the collected liquid spills over the partition and begins to percolate down through the layers of filtering material—smaller impurities also will be removed. A screen prevents any remaining debris from flowing into the supply line that connects the filter box with the cistern.

The cistern itself should be made of concrete, stone, or some other non-corroding, non-contaminating material (wood and metal are not recommended). In addition, the storage tank must be [1] watertight, [2] effectively sealed against outside contamination, and [3] fitted with some type of overflow opening. For optimal protection against contamination, the cistern's hatch door should fit tightly, the overflow should be screened to prevent small animals from entering, and care should be taken to locate outhouses, septic tanks, cattle run-off areas, etc., at least 100 feet away (preferably downhill ) from the tank. (Note: Your cistern most definitely should have a hatch door on its top, since the vessel's floor will need to be cleaned every couple of years or so.)

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