From EcoReality

Water Management

Almost a year has gone by since we moved onto the land. Many things have been accomplished, but the one thing that is most important has not been addressed.

Water or more appropriately, the lack of water is a huge issue here. We are on city water and watering may be very expensive. Last summer we had a $300 water bill. This may have been due to inattention on the part of one of our renters, but non the less, we have had many discussions on how to address this, with no resolve.

Then, to add insult to injury, the dam breached this spring! According to our neighbour, the dam had been in a state of disrepair for years. With the help of three WWOOFers though, the blackberries have been cleared from the dam and we are at least able to see the damage.

Last month we applied for a grant to get some kind of water catchment system, and just today received notice that we will be getting $100 instead of the $500 we'd requested. So, we are back to square one, not enough money to buy a rainwater collection system and on top of that it is turning out to be a relatively dry spring! But the $100 will allow us to buy some hardware and plumbing to make use of the shop roof via 200 liter barrels.

On the bright side, the raised beds are heavily mulched to help cut down on water usage!

--Carol, Farm steward