Water in the Desert
(Page 3 of 4)
The poly tanks used to store drinking water are expensive,
running about $1,000 for a 3,000-gallon tank, so we started
with just one and added the second tank later. At some
point we could add a third, but so far we haven't found
that we need that much water.
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CAREFUL CONSERVATION
Even with low-flow toilets, you'd be surprised how much
good, clean, drinking-quality water gets flushed each day
in this country. Our first conservation measure was to
install a composting toilet, which uses no water.
Composting our waste also is good for the soil, as we use
the mature compost around our trees. True, there is some
maintenance involved in a composting toilet, but ours has
required only minimal upkeep.
Any inconvenience to us pales in comparison to the
inconvenience to the Sonoran mud turtles who are no longer
able to migrate up and down the river. And to be perfectly
honest with you, there is something satisfying about being
responsible in this way for our own waste.
We also have perfected the art of showering. We had good
training, because before we installed plumbing, we had to
haul water by hand. During that time, we decided that the 5
gallons our solar shower could hold was more than
sufficient for two bathings. Taking short showers has
become ingrained, but just to keep us honest, we installed
a low-flow showerhead with a stopping valve and a 6-gallon
hot water heater. If you wish to take a long shower at our
house, you have to be prepared to take it cold! Also, to
not waste any more water than necessary, we often keep a
bucket in the shower and dump the collected water on the
garden.
To wash dishes, we fill the sink only a few inches. Rather
than running water over the dishes to remove food
particles, we first wipe the dishes down, separating out
the food residues for composting. That keeps those few
inches of water clean far longer, and we can wash a larger
load with less water.
All our drains (except the wash side of the kitchen sink,
which is by law required to go to the septic tank) go to
trees we have planted, so the water gets reused
immediately. We have a small, 12-by-4-foot kitchen garden,
which we occasionally have to stop watering, but only
during periods of extreme drought. Then, we have lost some
plants, but not all. Our landscaping plants have fared
particularly well because we specifically chose
droughttolerant species - most of them native to the area -
including palo verde trees, mesquites and desert willows.
When we started rainwater harvesting, we were using
rainwater for drinking and cooking, but more recently, we
switched to store-bought water for drinking.
