Feeding Harvested Roof Run Off Rain Water

[Bs Peeps]

I know this topic has come up before, and even by me. Though I only skimmed the summary conclusions of this report, I thought I'd share this report from WA State Dept of Ecology.
They just completed a study on pollutants found in roof run off.
It's a 118-page PDF, Conclusions on page 101. https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/publications/publications/1403033.pdf

 

[chooks4life]

Good info, thanks. I know it's a definite concern in many areas especially suburbia, but I've lived on a few farm properties where it was no less of a concern. It's amazing what junk you find dumped in water tanks and dams when they're low, too, and stormwater runoff is something I've wondered about a lot.

Thanks for sharing.

Best wishes.

 

[shorttimer]

I truly believe that rain water is the best water. In my quest to be a better gardener in the last year or so, I have discovered that observing what happens in nature to have some of the answers I seek. A case in point just this past week. We have had several short storms in a row. The rain has not been super heavy & had a chance to keep things wet with not too much run off. I harvested well over 1200 gallons in IBC containers. I've noticed that with natural rain water the plants do MUCH better than with city water. It makes you wonder if there's more in the water besides Fluoride & Chlorine? Or if those things have that much of a detrimental effect on plant life. It also makes me not want to drink the city water without it being filtered, which I have been doing for 25 years. I've been considering running the rain water thru the Berky to see how good it tastes. I'll bet quite good. Of course the chickens will get the good stuff.

 

[chooks4life]

I truly believe that rain water is the best water.

Unfortunately this is debatable... Water that's been filtered through rock and sand and so forth is often less contaminated. We've polluted the earth to the point that remote and inaccessible regions humans have never lived in are now being found to be contaminated. The atmosphere is contaminated, so the rain can't be pure, anywhere on earth, whereas some underground waters can be.

In my quest to be a better gardener in the last year or so, I have discovered that observing what happens in nature to have some of the answers I seek. A case in point just this past week. We have had several short storms in a row. The rain has not been super heavy & had a chance to keep things wet with not too much run off. I harvested well over 1200 gallons in IBC containers. I've noticed that with natural rain water the plants do MUCH better than with city water. It makes you wonder if there's more in the water besides Fluoride & Chlorine?

Chlorine is a biological assassin, basically, it's not something to scoff at in terms of taking it seriously as a threat to health. Flouride too is a known toxin obviously, even if some people insist otherwise (often while confusing naturally occurring Flourine with the waste byproduct Flouride). One is essential to life, the other's hazardous waste.

There's definitely more to rain than meets the eye. The often high nitrogen levels and negative ions also don't quite explain why plants do so well with it compared to tap water, at least, not to my understanding they don't. Admittedly I have much to learn yet.

In my experience it makes more sense to let the gardens die during drought than use tap water, since it won't save them and just becomes a costly waste. Rain water or natural water is the way to go. Does depend on how badly the local council overdoses on chlorine and flouride though.

Or if those things have that much of a detrimental effect on plant life.

Yes, they do. Use either chlorine or flouride separately on plants to test it if you don't believe me.

It also makes me not want to drink the city water without it being filtered, which I have been doing for 25 years. I've been considering running the rain water thru the Berky to see how good it tastes. I'll bet quite good. Of course the chickens will get the good stuff.

My chooks would envy yours then, since they don't get filtered water here yet. Working on it. Same for the sheep and goats. Tap water is crud. I've got a filter for myself, but the animals need filtered water too. They hate tapwater.

Best wishes.

 

[shorttimer]

Yes, I am familiar with some of the water wows in Australia. In a lot of places, you don't have water if you don't collect it. Actually I was there in 69 on R&R. I loved it & wanted to go back for many years & gave up on the idea when it became evident that I didn't have the qualifications to be a resident. But back to water. I don't want to get into a political discussion about water manipulation, however I believe we should have good clean water without chemicals added. I also understand the liability of gov to not treat water, so they're between a rock & a hard place. And I totally agree on Chlorine & Fluoride. What I have never understood, in this country, is why people will go to the store or hire a service, which is usually fairly expensive, to provide water of an unknown quality, when a multi-stage filter can be placed under the sink, or in a strategic location, at the time of it's use. I did it even when I was renting an apartment 35 years ago. Back then it was only $45. The filters, IMO, are reasonably priced for what they do and you can find filters that filter just about anything. Personally, I think a Berky filter for rain water would be just about as pure as water can be, but who knows without testing equipment. I hope you can find an inexpensive solution for you water filtration. I can see by many of your previous posts that you have a good set up & your hearts in the right place. Keep up the good work.

 

[matt44644]

https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/publications/publications/1403033.pdf
Somebody posted this yesterday on run off water.

EDIT oppps missed it at the top

 

[pdirt]

I know this topic has come up before, and even by me. Though I only skimmed the summary conclusions of this report, I thought I'd share this report from WA State Dept of Ecology.
They just completed a study on pollutants found in roof run off.
It's a 118-page PDF, Conclusions on page 101. https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/publications/publications/1403033.pdf

This is great, so far, it's the most detailed report I've read on the subject of actual pollutants run off from the roofing material itself. If we ever set up a rain-collection system, I refer to this again in terms of either the roofing material we have or what we would use if we build a roof.

Having been on this topic before though, many folks don't seem concerned about the toxins. Perhaps they aren't concerned about chlorine or fluoride in their water either. Different camps. Most likely I would end up building some sort of sand filter. I don't know much about how those work, but that would be a project to learn more about!

 

[AnnieE]

Most rain harvesting systems i've read about come with multiple filters as well as a first flush system that takes the first rush of water and discards it before feeding the rest into the system. Most systems highly recommend rain harvesting on metal roofs and never asphalt shingles because of debris.

My chickens drink rain water for most of the year. I mounted a gutter on the back of my chicken coop (cedar shake roof) and a 5 gallon bucket with screen over it. That feeds into pipe that runs along the back of the coop and through the wall to the inside where the chickens access it through poultry nipples. I used it for spring, summer, and fall, but emptied it out once we started getting freezing temperatures.

I put in about a tsp or 2 of bleach once a month and now that they're getting "city" water since all of my rain barrels are frozen, they do try to find water in the yard before breaking down and drinking from the run bowl. I'm sure they'll be happy to be back on rain water in the spring.

 

[chooks4life]

Yes, I am familiar with some of the water wows in Australia. In a lot of places, you don't have water if you don't collect it. Actually I was there in 69 on R&R. I loved it & wanted to go back for many years & gave up on the idea when it became evident that I didn't have the qualifications to be a resident. But back to water. I don't want to get into a political discussion about water manipulation, however I believe we should have good clean water without chemicals added. I also understand the liability of gov to not treat water, so they're between a rock & a hard place. And I totally agree on Chlorine & Fluoride.

Agree with all that for sure, it's a messy situation, no easy fix. I wish there was more regulation of how much chlorine they add, there are laws about it of course but different councils just add however much they want, to extreme levels, to the point where you're coated in white after coming out of the shower.

What I have never understood, in this country, is why people will go to the store or hire a service, which is usually fairly expensive, to provide water of an unknown quality, when a multi-stage filter can be placed under the sink, or in a strategic location, at the time of it's use. I did it even when I was renting an apartment 35 years ago. Back then it was only $45. The filters, IMO, are reasonably priced for what they do and you can find filters that filter just about anything. Personally, I think a Berky filter for rain water would be just about as pure as water can be, but who knows without testing equipment.

We've been looking into different water filters, many don't perform as per the adverts about them. The tap water where I am is still nicer than the filtered water some family members have in their location.

I hope you can find an inexpensive solution for you water filtration. I can see by many of your previous posts that you have a good set up & your hearts in the right place. Keep up the good work.

Thanks, and same to you.