kids save water, new water tank, school tank, habitat

KIDS SAVE WATER
theres a nearby community that was hit by the fires
that hit here the most notable fire was the bastrop fire
there were several homes burned in the community

then
because of the drought the lake near the community
went dry and the wells where they get their water went
dry as the aquifer level dropped below the well depths

water was having to be trucked in to the city water tanks

the kids in the local elementary had to go on severe water
restrictions both at home and at school
many were hit with the double hit of losing their homes to the fires
and now not having enough water

but as usual kids adapt and do whats right
(they are better than adults that way
think thats why i enjoyed seeing a lot of pediatric patients
in my practice)

in the school eg the faucets were those that do not shut off
automatically so the kids had to learn to turn them on then off
scrub their hands good them rinse off

although im sure this has been stressful for the kids
they are doing whats right when it comes to saving water
some are more worried about the fish than themselves

if we dont get water into the headwaters of the lakes soon a large
part of the population here in this area will have to restrict
their water use
we should be doing it anyway

of course kids are the ones that will probably handle it the best

NEW WATER TANK

this is the picture of my newest water tank
i call it my volcano water tank
since the top looks like a volcano

it sits on a platform to raise it up to the level of the other tanks
so the water will fill each tank equally
its used as a reservoir to water the landscaping in my front yard
and to provide water for my water ponds

from above a metal rain gutter from my upper roof runs down
and drops the water
into the mouth of the volcano
a screen in the opening catches debri form entering the tank

also an arbour that is 50 ft long has metal roofing over half
of its top and catches water also and sends it to the
volcano
one inch rain catches 75 gallons off this arbour
one inch rain catches 500 gallons off this roof

my wife she said i had to stop at this rain water tank
since i have so many now
its an addiction you know
if you get a  50 gallon tank youll find out what im talking about

SCHOOL TANK
one of the local high schools has a 2500 gallon tank that they use to
have hooked up to some of those temporary buildings
you know the ones that they add as the school outgrows
its building
reminds me of trailer houses that seem to multiply as the kids
move back home on the property and start adding the trailers
then their kids add trailers etc

during recent reconstruction of the school the tank got shoved over
into a corner and just was left there

now the environmental club wants to hook it back together
to use to water the landscaping at the school

luckily years ago i had gone up to the school and taken pictures
of the tank and its connections when i was looking to do my
own system
(one of several places i visited and photographed)

last night i met a student and their advisor at the school
there was that lonely big ole tank shoved under a tree with a
bunch of other tables and benches
the pipes appeared to have been just ripped off
all the down spouts and drain tubes were gone

it all looks salvageable
we will probably be able to hook the tank so the water
will be dropped about a foot into the tank from the gutters
and no extra tubing will be needed
a good savings for the environmental clubs budget

the building is a 50x20 ft building that if all the water is
captured will yield 500 gallons with a one inch rain
5 inches of rain will fill up the tank
they may be able to only catch water off the front side
of the building

will report its progress as we go along

HABITAT
the rain we had put a damper on what was planned
the roof was not completed as hoped yesterday
it was too wet
and muddy
i looked like i had been in a pig pen when i got home
my wife she made me leave my clothes outside

we did do most of the siding and outside trim
so it should be all finished soon
next the roof should be finished so the house will be
all closed in well

my wife she and i have plans to donate a 4 ft square foot
raised garden to the home owner using the method ive
described in past blogs
will add a keyhole component to it
will post pictures when its completed

we also will give her a 50 gallon rain water collection tank
to start out with
we know it will be addicting

the organicgreen doctor