Water, Save It for a Non-rainy Day

I was born in the big city. Chicago. I never gave a second thought about water. You opened the tap, and it was there. Water is in great supply in Chicago. With Lake Michigan at your doorstep, rivers, and lakes, large and small, seemingly everywhere, one never realizes, even if you see it on the TV, that there is a different water story elsewhere.

So, now we’ve moved to Arizona, Mojave county to be exact. Smack in the middle of the Mojave desert. They say in all the books, at least the ones I’ve seen, that the Mojave is the driest desert. I hear it has the least rainfall of any of the deserts. I believe it too. Many times we get these threatening clouds. Thunder, lightning, wind like you wouldn’t believe, then maybe if we are lucky, a few drops of rain may fall.

Sometimes it even rains hard. Not too often though, those rainy days are few and very far between.We are in a “water haul” area. I don’t get my water from a pipe coming from some water plant miles away. I have a tank buried in the ground out back. There is a “pump house” out back, inside is a jet pump, and a pressure tank. Things I’ve never heard of before I moved here. There are pipes that bring the water to my house from the tank. The way it works is the pump pulls water from the underground tank, then it goes into the pressure tank where it collects, under pressure, so that when I turn on the faucet, water comes out under pressure.

The first time I ever saw this system, I thought it was fascinating. Now, maybe not so much. Lately my pipes have developed a small leak, so I did what any single technically challenged woman would do , I turned it off ! Oh , I turn it on when I need to run it, but I just don”t leave it on 24 hours a day. I didn’t want all my nice water to leak out. So, I keep water in the house, in a large plastic barrel, and out back in yet another tank above ground, only 275 gallons this one.

Many times to avoid running the pump, I water the trees and the dogs by bucket, from the above ground tank. I’m sure it saves water that way, not to mention the electricity it takes to run the pump. Saving water has become a way of life out here. Many people let water from a sink or tub run out to a non fruiting tree. (You wouldn’t want to eat fruit or nuts from a tree watered with your own bath water), So only shade trees or decorative trees or plants. Its called “grey water”. I think its a great idea.

Pipes are connected from the tub, to the poplar trees. They enjoy the drink, and provide me with lush shade. We do all the regular things too, not letting water run while we brush our teeth, or lather up in the shower. We installed a toilet that uses very little water to flush. Mulching around trees is also helpful. It keeps in the moisture so you use less water.

It also helps to avoid grass altogether. some friends of ours, just laid down rocks, beautiful rocks. and they made a path in the back yard with glazed tiles. Its beautiful, and no grass to water. However, I think one of the biggest things you can do, is choose appropriate plants for your climate, and rainfall level. I have Agave plants, they take very little water and are beautiful. of course the kinds of cactus you can grow out here is amazing.There are also bushes that grow out here. Criosote bushes. people usually cut them down if they pop up in their yard, but i can’t do it. Seems that something with that much will to live, should be left alone.

Besides, as far as I am concerned, anything green is good in my book. I also have some citrus trees. they do take more water, but not as much as some others might. Poplar and Eucalyptus, and Willow trees, do especially well out here. I planted two Peach trees. sorry to say they didn’t make it. maybe too hot or, it could be that the puppy was teething and thought they were chew toys? Either way, its so much harder to grow plants that aren’ t native to the area. I got some seeds for honey mesquite, and planted them. I can’t believe how fast and well they grow out here, not to mention they have fruit, a sort of a berry , and the birds love them.

My next door neighbor has a veritable grove over there but, then he is obsessive/compulsive, and the garden is what he obsesses over. He uses a huge amount of water over there, he has a truck and a trailer with a tank on it for hauling water, He makes daily trips to the well for water. I just buy mine from the water guy. 1500 gallons at a time. He brings it in a huge tank truck, and drops in in the underground tank, and I’m set for a few months.

There is a water company here in town, but the water lines don’t come out this far into the desert. Like I said we are in the “water haul” area. Most of us out here, who are used to it, don’t mind, but when people put their place up for sale , Many people don’t want “water haul” they want pipes, and big water bills, and plummer bills. Hauling your water certainly makes you aware of the value of this precious commodity. I feel good about it. I’m not wasting water, and one day when my grandchildren are sitting in the shade of the willow trees, drinking some icy lemonade I just made with fresh water, they will thank me for that.