Author Topic: How to Solve Drought  (Read 16265 times)

Offline vtsteam

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How to Solve Drought
« on: May 28, 2015, 09:57:51 AM »
As mentioned in the Bernardston thread, this spring has been practically rain free and caused a very unusual drought this time of year. The garden is powder and the lawn turned brown.

This causes great trepidation for us, particularly this early, as we get our water from a cold spring flowing out of a hole in rock ledge that feeds a 200 gallon cistern under the house. It flows through continuously summer and winter, except during severe drought. While it produces immense gallonage over the year, we can (and have) run out of water.

We ran dry for nearly 2 months about 5 years ago when it didn't rain locally for the entire second half of summer -- a very rare event here. In fact, even areas 50 miles away got reasonable amounts of rain, according to closely watched weather maps, but the storms always dissipated or split round our corner of southern Vermont that year. It was very frustrating.

Here's what the front lawn looks like. It was all green grass a few weeks ago. After much discussion at home, we decided to start construction of a separate above ground 3000 gallon summer/drought cistern. That plan had been "in the works" for years. But it tends to lose urgency when water is plentiful!


I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

Offline vtsteam

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Re: How to Solve Drought
« Reply #1 on: May 28, 2015, 10:08:16 AM »
So I worked most of the morning yesterday getting a few details sorted on the old Ford 850 tractor with backhoe. That's still an uncompleted project -- no engine covering sheet metal, and a small temporary gas tank, but usable for scraping out a 10 foot flat spot on our hill as a base for the new cistern.

I needed to charge the battery, add fresh gas, top up tires, and make a new link for one of the hydraulic valve levers. Then navigate through some tricky passages to draw to a chosen spot, near the house, but below it by about 8 feet, so we could use gravity feed from the house to the new cistern to receive overflow from the house cistern.

For some reason I couldn't quite back it to my chosen spot -- short by a dozen feet, when the rear tires began to slip. There are some half buried logs here left by a former logging company land owner, and the Ford refused to climb them. The ground was a bit soft, but I attributed that to our cistern overflow hose which emptied nearby, though the merest trickle now.

No problem, I'll just use the hoe to move me closer, and pull my way over the uneven ground!  :smart:

I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

Offline Arbalist

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Re: How to Solve Drought
« Reply #2 on: May 28, 2015, 10:17:38 AM »
Have you thought of "Grey water" harvesting? Water used for Bathing and washing clothes goes straight down the drain here but could easily go to a settlement tank for reuse in the garden. The only water not ideal for this is from the Dish Washer but they don't use much these days anyway.

Offline vtsteam

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Re: How to Solve Drought
« Reply #3 on: May 28, 2015, 10:35:42 AM »
Being new to this ancient backhoe combo, I managed to dig  a couple buckets full before getting the coordinated moves in the direction I wanted to go. I did kinda notice the ground looked moist where I'd put holes, but again, probably very localized from the overflow hose.

I got myself in better position, turned around and noticed a little mud around the front tire. Hmmmm, this really is still pretty damp in this spot. Kinda lush foliage, too.... Seems the plants here are doing well -- and for quite a distance around, too. Must be the overflow......

Ready to dig, but the tractor engine died righ then. Murphy's law. Out of fuel in that small tank. And actually I'd emptied my fuel can into it to get the tractor here in the first place, so I needed to drive all the way to town to fill all the gas cans -- a half hour operation, minimum.

It had been a hot sunny day in the 80's but I noticed it was getting kinda gray and even dark towards the south. I hopped off the tractor and landed in squishy ground. I looked at a bucket hole I'd dug. Was that water in the bottom? A little bit.

Well off to town. Drfiving down the mountain. It's getting darker. And darker. And the wind is picking up. Trees are bending along the road side. Oh yeah, sure, I'm thinking, it did this plenty of times during the last drought. Threatened to rain and never did.

I fill up the gas cans. Tie them into the truck and head back home. About half way there it begins to rain. Bet it just rains in his spot for ten minutes. Another trick, last drought. I'd drive through a thunderstorm only to find the road dry 500 yards from the house.

But it was raining when I got home this time. I waited in the truck for a few minutes to let it stop, but it only slowed, so I grabbed an old umbrella I keep aboard, and started to carry a gas can back toward the house -- it's a 600 foot hike across my bridge on Broad brook, along a field and then up through woods. I just got off the bridge when lightning hit a thousand yards away, which caused me to ponder whether holding a pointed metal object up in the air with one hand and 5 gallons of gasoline in the other hand while crossing a field was a good idea!
I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

Offline vtsteam

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Re: How to Solve Drought
« Reply #4 on: May 28, 2015, 10:53:59 AM »
Since it was raining and late in the day, there was no point in continuing digging operations. So I went home and had dinner.

Now, it rained last night, yes, and continued, true, more at times and less at others, but I don't think that actually full accounted for what I found when I checked the tractor this morning.

I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

Offline vtsteam

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Re: How to Solve Drought
« Reply #5 on: May 28, 2015, 11:04:23 AM »
I was in water saturated ground. Even with the drought! Should have realized it from what was growing  -- background above photo is bracken fern, and foreground, touch-me-not (jewelweed). with willow starts nearby. All water loving plants

So here's my tractor now.





This is naturally the absolute wrong place to base a cistern!

Might be a good place for a pond, however, so uhhhhhh change of plans  :loco:

Cistern will go elsewhere!

My advice for a drought?  Simply begin work on a new cistern. Guaranteed it will rain and you'll hit water as well, and will soon be stuck in the mud!  :thumbup:


I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

Offline vtsteam

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Re: How to Solve Drought
« Reply #6 on: May 28, 2015, 11:14:10 AM »
Have you thought of "Grey water" harvesting? Water used for Bathing and washing clothes goes straight down the drain here but could easily go to a settlement tank for reuse in the garden. The only water not ideal for this is from the Dish Washer but they don't use much these days anyway.

I have been wanting to do a separate grey water system for years. Always a job for the future, when water is plentiful,  just like a larger cistern!  :lol:
I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

Offline awemawson

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Re: How to Solve Drought
« Reply #7 on: May 28, 2015, 12:50:29 PM »
Steve, Glad that the heavens opened for you, must be worrying for you if you are entirely dependant on your spring. Are there water bearing strata below that you could drill down to?
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline AdeV

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Re: How to Solve Drought
« Reply #8 on: May 28, 2015, 04:16:48 PM »
The UK experienced a severe drought in IIRC 1973 ( I wouldn't remember, I wasn't even born until August of that year) - it went on for months. Eventually, the Government appointed a "Minister for Drought". The next day the heavens opened & didn't stop for weeks.

So, the other option if you're stuck, is have your local government appoint someone - I'm not sure what the US equivalent would be - it'll soon be lashing down :D
Cheers!
Ade.
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Occasionally: Zhengzhou, China. An even longer way from anywhere...

Offline vtsteam

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Re: How to Solve Drought
« Reply #9 on: May 28, 2015, 09:53:14 PM »
Ade when it rains it pours doesn't it?  :lol:

Today it was clear all day, I moved the tractor back about 50 feet from the mud when I stalled it and didn't have enough charge to re-start. So I snaked a 100 foot extension cord to the tractor and lugged my big charger out and set it up.

Hot and clear all morning. Within literally 15 minutes of starting to charge (according to the timer), the sky darkened, and knowing that a big additional joke was about to be played on me, I quickly unhooked and dragged the charger back and unplugged the cord.

And as you can imagine, all heck broke loose! It sounded like somebody had dropped a piano on the roof. No gradual buildup, the rain hit the house full force in an instant. It poured buckets, lightning left and right, the wind broke limbs off trees, downed power lines, forcing one of our local school busses to back away from one across the road and into a ditch in the process, and it hailed for 10 minutes, as if the rest wasn't enough of a show. All three lights were lit up red on our weather warning radio. Of course it was kind of obvious by then what was going on without modern technology!

Then 45 minutes later the sun came out, and we had blue skies, as if nothing had happened. So I dragged out the charger again, and finally got the tractor started and moved to the new spot where I plan to dig the new cistern. The tarp I'd thrown on it just before the storm had uncovered in the area of the seat, natch, so it wasn't too comfortable moving it.

Ade, your Minister for Drought was doomed from the start. Absolute certainty the way to end a drought is to commit to some course of action to combat it.

I'm still putting the damn cistern in !!!
I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

Offline vtsteam

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Re: How to Solve Drought
« Reply #10 on: May 28, 2015, 10:04:00 PM »
Steve, Glad that the heavens opened for you, must be worrying for you if you are entirely dependant on your spring. Are there water bearing strata below that you could drill down to?

Cheers, Andrew! I tried DIY drilling, a few years back, and It's awfully slow going in this rocky soil. And many people I know in the area have 400 foot deep wells, which would be impossible without a professional rig.

A 3000 gallon cistern, would easily tide us over a month of drought, and any rain in the period would tend to refill it, rather than, as now happens, just go out as overflow. Cost would be about a tenth of the well, and I can do it myself.

Plumbing in a separate feed from a nearby stream to the washer and WC would probably halve our consumption as well, so we could easily go 2 months of drought with a bigger cistern.

Since drought is unusual, once these measures were in place, I'm sure rain would be constant forever after, and flooding a problem.
I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

Offline vtsteam

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Re: How to Solve Drought
« Reply #11 on: May 28, 2015, 10:20:10 PM »
For the cistern, I'm thinking of one somewhat like this urn shaped ferrocement type from a book (Water Storage -- Art Ludwig) from Oasis Design (great book btw):



Other interesting design info:

http://plantwater.freeservers.com/Techniques/rain_water_storage.htm
I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

Offline S. Heslop

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Re: How to Solve Drought
« Reply #12 on: May 29, 2015, 12:39:07 AM »
I'd offer you some of the water that falls on England but it's now all privately owned by a Chinese bank. Who recently started closing recreational areas around reservoirs so they didn't have to worry about liability or maintaining them.

Offline angus

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Re: How to Solve Drought
« Reply #13 on: May 29, 2015, 01:43:08 AM »
not all English water is owned by the Chinese.... some is owned by a Canadian pension fund  :doh:

Offline Ginger Nut

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Re: How to Solve Drought
« Reply #14 on: May 29, 2015, 06:37:33 AM »
How to solve UK's drought


Collect and recycle all of the nations weekend boozer phiss and it should fill the dams at least 1/2 way

Offline awemawson

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Re: How to Solve Drought
« Reply #15 on: May 29, 2015, 06:51:10 AM »
Steve, I know historically in England water has been stored in private cisterns, but there were contamination issues when there was no post storage treatment of the water. How do you treat (do you treat?) your spring water ?
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline vtsteam

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Re: How to Solve Drought
« Reply #16 on: May 29, 2015, 07:44:49 AM »
Andrew, this is a continuous flow through system and is untreated. It's not a rainwater collection system. There is no development above our source, we effectively own the mountain above. The water was analyzed at the state testing laboratory in Burlington, and passed all tests -- extremely well I might add. It is neutral pH, slightly soft, dissolved metal content low, no lead, coliform numbers well below state potable water requirements. It tastes great, and there has never been sediment to clean out of the cistern other than the lightest paint coat on the bottom every couple years.
I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

Offline tom osselton

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Re: How to Solve Drought
« Reply #17 on: May 29, 2015, 04:16:40 PM »
not all English water is owned by the Chinese.... some is owned by a Canadian pension fund  :doh:
Now if we had a pot to pee in we could retire!  :palm:

Offline Fergus OMore

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Re: How to Solve Drought
« Reply #18 on: May 29, 2015, 06:48:17 PM »
Just checked- I own a few drops. Not a lot  but apparently, I do

Well, well, well :scratch:

Norm


Offline vtsteam

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Re: How to Solve Drought
« Reply #19 on: May 31, 2015, 09:57:48 PM »
 :lol: :lol: It rained twice last week, it rained last night, all day today, will rain tomorrow (heavy at times), tomorrow night, and Tuesday, according to the weather service  :lol: :lol:

As soon as it clears up, I'm continuing on the cistern project. I know the trick, now!

I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

Offline tom osselton

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Re: How to Solve Drought
« Reply #20 on: June 01, 2015, 12:31:38 AM »
So is this how to solve a drought or sink a tractor?   :D

Offline vtsteam

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Re: How to Solve Drought
« Reply #21 on: June 01, 2015, 07:29:09 AM »
Tom, can't dig today for sure. It is pouring, Brook rising. Thinking in terms of cubits this morning for an Ark project I have in mind.  :loco:
I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

Offline sparky961

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Re: How to Solve Drought
« Reply #22 on: June 01, 2015, 09:09:56 AM »
I just returned from 5 days at a kayaking course on Georgian Bay (Lake Huron, Ontario, Canada).  The entire time we were drinking (micro-filtered) water directly from the lake.  Its very easy to forget when you're surrounded by fresh water that its a luxury that many don't have.

RobWilson

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Re: How to Solve Drought
« Reply #23 on: June 01, 2015, 11:11:32 AM »
So pleased to here its pissing down over there Steve  :)

Dose this mean you can get the forge/furnace fire up  :thumbup:



Rob

Offline Manxmodder

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Re: How to Solve Drought
« Reply #24 on: June 01, 2015, 11:37:07 AM »
It's persisting it down here,as well. Lovely this morning,now we've got torrential rain and 60mph gusts of wind.

At this time it is the first week of the TT race festival and there are thousands of our visitors camped out in tents  :Doh: .....OZ.
Helixes aren't always downward spirals,sometimes they're screwed up

Offline vtsteam

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Re: How to Solve Drought
« Reply #25 on: June 01, 2015, 11:39:03 AM »
Funny you should ask, Rob! just trying to figure out how to get a sheltered outside space for firing the darn thing in the rain.

 I've got a shed roof adjacent to the tiny shop, actually intended for the purpose, poured a pad last fall, but suddenly housing 3 unused bikes and other family stuff, which I will be moving out.

Probably need a small hood of some sort over the furnace and metal chimney even though unsided. Might do that stuff today.

ps. Oz sorry to hear that! It's the weatherman's fault!

Hey if I get the sheltered furnace going it's sure to clear up!
I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

RobWilson

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Re: How to Solve Drought
« Reply #26 on: June 01, 2015, 12:40:50 PM »
I could do with a sheltered open sort of space Steve ,

I was planning on doing a bit sheet metal work tonight , bend up the hood for the forge but its blowing a gale and showery  :Doh: 


Rob

Offline DMIOM

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Re: How to Solve Drought
« Reply #27 on: June 01, 2015, 12:55:31 PM »
It's persisting it down here,as well. Lovely this morning,now we've got torrential rain and 60mph gusts of wind.

At this time it is the first week of the TT race festival and there are thousands of our visitors camped out in tents  .....OZ.

The number of trees that are down (current ones I've heard of Ballacraine, Ginger Hall, Milntown, Poortown Rd.),  signs/bales blown into carriageway on Southern 100 course + those big round (half ton!) hay bales apparently in road at the Raven :bugeye: I'm not surprised tonight's practice is cancelled - they could maybe have had a motocross instead? 

Lots of local organisations opening village halls etc. & private individuals welcoming soggy bikers into their homes  :coffee:  Thankfully the forecast is high pressure building towards the end of the week ....

Dave

Offline vtsteam

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Re: How to Solve Drought
« Reply #28 on: June 01, 2015, 01:14:59 PM »
Yikes, I'm sorry guys --- it kinda looks like it starts right here and extends all the way over to you. :wave:



Maybe I shouldn't have started to dig that cistern.......
I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

RobWilson

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Re: How to Solve Drought
« Reply #29 on: June 01, 2015, 01:19:52 PM »
Aye thats a real twats trick sending us YOUR rain  Steve   :lol: :lol:



Rob

Offline vtsteam

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Re: How to Solve Drought
« Reply #30 on: June 01, 2015, 01:32:29 PM »
Must share, global village and all..... :med:
No more wisecracks, or I'll buy an air conditioner and freeze your sass!  :lol:
I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

Offline Will_D

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Re: How to Solve Drought
« Reply #31 on: June 01, 2015, 03:13:49 PM »
That explains why our Marquee got wrecked today. Its sort of epicentered on Malahide, in th eNorth Conty Dublin :bugeye:
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RobWilson

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Re: How to Solve Drought
« Reply #32 on: June 01, 2015, 03:49:00 PM »
Must share, global village and all..... :med:
No more wisecracks, or I'll buy an air conditioner and freeze your sass! 

 :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :)


Rob

Offline AdeV

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Re: How to Solve Drought
« Reply #33 on: June 01, 2015, 07:30:22 PM »
Yep, that little lot passed overhead about 3 hours ago, I thought the dock was going to flood it rained that hard...
Cheers!
Ade.
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Offline Manxmodder

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Re: How to Solve Drought
« Reply #34 on: June 01, 2015, 09:51:38 PM »
It's persisting it down here,as well. Lovely this morning,now we've got torrential rain and 60mph gusts of wind.

At this time it is the first week of the TT race festival and there are thousands of our visitors camped out in tents  .....OZ.

The number of trees that are down (current ones I've heard of Ballacraine, Ginger Hall, Milntown, Poortown Rd.),  signs/bales blown into carriageway on Southern 100 course + those big round (half ton!) hay bales apparently in road at the Raven :bugeye: I'm not surprised tonight's practice is cancelled - they could maybe have had a motocross instead? 

Lots of local organisations opening village halls etc. & private individuals welcoming soggy bikers into their homes  :coffee:  Thankfully the forecast is high pressure building towards the end of the week ....

Dave

Just listening to the local news earlier and the Met office were saying that today has seen the highest  wind speeds for June recorded over the last 50 years,if not longer.

57 mph recorded at Ronaldsway airport,and around 75mph at Snaefell  :bugeye:

Sure is going to be a massive clear up operation tomorrow if they hope to get the evenings race practice under way....OZ.
Helixes aren't always downward spirals,sometimes they're screwed up

Offline vtsteam

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Re: How to Solve Drought
« Reply #35 on: June 02, 2015, 10:16:17 AM »
Sorry to read about the very strong winds and rain  :( .

The rains still haven't stopped here this morning so we're into day 3 of it, though we didn't get winds on the scale you guys are receiving.

Temperatures have really dropped, and I started up the woodstove again this morning -- first time in weeks. Temp is 9 C now and won't get much higher today. It hit 29 C just a week ago.  :loco:
I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

Offline Manxmodder

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Re: How to Solve Drought
« Reply #36 on: June 02, 2015, 07:58:40 PM »
Steve,it is unseasonably cold here too,really struggling to make double figures,degs Centigrade.

Tonight's race practice session was cut short due to showers and strong gusts,however,the weather man says it will be getting warmer over the next few days.

I do hope we get some decent weather for next week when the actual race events are scheduled as many of the competitors have invested all they have to come and race here......OZ.
Helixes aren't always downward spirals,sometimes they're screwed up