How to Collect Rain Water on Vacant Land
Collection of rain water on vacant land has been a method used by indigenous people in many countries over many centuries for the purposes of providing wetland pools for wild animals, crop irrigation, and even drinking water. Regardless of the reason for collecting rain water, collection always entails the digging of a collection reservoir (small lake) for wildlife and irrigation purposes, or containers covered with a permeable fabric for the collection of rain water to drink. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Land surveying scope and equipment (if planning to dig an in-ground reservoir)
- Tractor with backhoe (if planning to dig an in-ground reservoir)
- Stainless steel drums, 5 to 50 gallon capacity (if collecting for drinking water)
- Wooden platforms 6 to 8 feet tall (one per collection drum if collecting for drinking water)
- Drill and bit set
- 1 Screw-in tap spigot per stainless steel drum
- Permeable cloth (sufficient to cover the open top of each drum)
- 1 Round metal strap with tightening mechanism per drum
Instructions
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Contact the local government land use and zoning department and ask for details about ownership of the land you are planning to use if you aren't the owner of the property. Inquire about contact information for the person who holds the deed for the land and then contact to ask permission to use the land for your desire to collect rain water.
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Survey the land using a surveyors set, or have the land surveyed, to determine the direction rain water runs off if planning to dig a large hole to serve as an irrigation holding or wildlife refuge reservoir. Unless made perfectly level by man, most parcels of land have a natural slope and rain water will run downward to one side of the acreage. The reservoir should be dug at the bottom end of the slope and the water channeled into it.
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Dig the reservoir to its desired proportions using a backhoe tractor. To prevent cave-ins of sides, it is wise to dig such a reservoir as a salad bowl-shaped depression in the ground so all of the sides are sloping outward away from the center. Use the backhoe to also dig shallow trenches about three to four feet deep leading toward the edges of the reservoir so water can be channeled more easily to it.
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Set up wooden platforms, supported by bricks, which are six to eight feet high if the water collection is to be used for utility or drinking purposes. The platforms should be large enough to accommodate the size and weight of the collection drums being used for the project.
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Drill one hole about two to three inches from the bottom of each drum, sized specifically for accommodation of your chosen screw-in tap valves. Apply a small amount of pipe thread sealer to the threads on each of the taps and then screw one into the holes on each of the drums. This will permit a simple method to harvest the collected water into smaller transportable containers when necessary.
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Place a permeable cloth or plastic covering over the top of each of the drums. Use anything which permits water to run through while keeping out insects and other wildlife. Secure the permeable material tightly over the top using a round metal strap which can be tightened to hold the material in place.
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Tips & Warnings
Use generator power or solar power to operate a pump to drain the water from a reservoir to irrigate crops when need for the water arises.
Water collection is truly a simple task. However, though rainwater may appear clear when collected, it is always essential to bring the water to a high boil and to then allow it to remain at boiling temperature for at least 10 to 15 minutes to kill any possible bacteria or parasites which may have found their way into the water. After boiling, keep tightly covered and in a cool place. Never drink water that has never been treated in this way to prevent illness.
Have one sample taken from each batch of rainwater taken to the local Health Department and have it tested for quality and purity to make an additional determination whether or not the water should be filtered before drinking rather than simply being boiled.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit dark rain image by PhotographerOne from Fotolia.com
