The Green Page

A Practical Solution to Water Conservation.

The current water shortage has focused our minds on what is certain to be an ongoing problem. We are torn between wanting a hot summer and more rain to fill up the reservoirs. Quite apart from the water crises of the summer of 2006, there is the long term view that however good we get at shifting water around the country through a network of pipes (which at the moment is only a dream) or by turning the tap off while we clean our teeth; water is becoming the new oil. 

Recent reports show that we are already prepared to pay 95p per litre for bottled water, roughly the same price as petrol, whilst the average price of tap water, which many people consider to be as good or better quality, works out to be £1 per 10,000 litres. But how long will this last? How long will tap water be as cheap as this? How long are we prepared to waste this precious fluid on lawns, tubs and window boxes? When it is compulsory for every house to have a water meter, how will those of us who love our gardens manage to meet the extra expense?

Crawford Anderson Senior has come up with a system which is very straight forward, and once it is fitted, it provides as much water as necessary for those thirsty plants and lawns, cost free. He explained to me that he simply fits a discreet tank to an outside wall, and connects to the bath, the shower, the wash basin and the rainwater downpipes to the tank. "Most people don't want an ugly tank in the garden, spoiling the view", he told me, "so we fit a slim-line tank that can easily be hidden by hanging baskets etc. and will hardly be noticed at all. We then recycle as much grey water as possible." The pressure from the tank can then feed an irrigation system that can be laid all round the garden, giving an almost inexhaustible supply of water summer and winter - at no cost to the user. If you are away on holiday, he suggests a time clock that will turn the water off and on once every twelve hours, to save bothering the neighbours. An outlet for a hosepipe would enable you to easily water the tubs and baskets that are a feature of many gardens.

With the rising cost of water and the increasing scarcity, this seems to me like an idea that will catch on, and could make all the difference between a garden that looks cared for and green and, and one that looks parched and neglected; and who knows, it might even reverse the present trend of covering the garden with slabs of concrete, which is contributing to our present water shortage.

One of Crawford Anderson Senior Rain Water Harvesting Systems has been tested and it was found that from the furthest point on this system which was approx 53 mtrs around the garden that the water pressure could fill a pint/ milk bottle approximately every nine sec. To obtain this volume of water you would have to turn off other isolation valves.