Water in the Desert

(Page 4 of 4)

June/July 2004
 
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The reason was that our roofing material - uncoated galvanized metal - is no longer considered the safest material to collect drinking water because when it begins to corrode, the metal could introduce contaminants into our water supply. So we decided to be cautious with our drinking water; however, we still use harvested rainwater for most of our cooking.

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The one luxury we have forgone thus far has been a washing machine; we take our laundry to a laundromat. Right now, this adds to our consumption of water from the aquifer, but we hope to soon buy a super-efficient machine for home. We should have enough water, given the average rainfall, but the droughts of recent years have left us unsure.

Last year was an especially dry year. We began the annual February-to-July drought with only 2,500 gallons in the tanks, and were down to only a few hundred gallons before the tanks began to refill during the rainy season.

But, we survived just fine with even that small amount of water, and our rationing was by no means unreasonable or uncomfortable. We still took daily showers and were able to give some water to the plants.

This tells us that with the return of normal rainfall patterns, we should be able to wash our laundry at home provided we buy a water-efficient washer. Some use as little as 18 gallons per load while most machines on the market use 40 to 50 gallons!

All in all, we have carved a satisfying life out of the harsh environment that is the Chihuahuan desert. We have created a lifestyle where we can live simply and cheaply without sacrificing comfort. This life is not for everyone, perhaps, but for us, it is the realization of a dream that we built slowly over the years. We hope those of you who share such dreams may be fortunate enough to realize them as we have.

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