The quest for water on other planets may seem like an abstract concept, but its significance resonates deeply in our own reality. Water’s absence means life’s absence – a stark reminder of the importance of having a reliable water source on our homesteads. A breakdown in running water supply can be catastrophic, making it essential to have a backup plan in place.
For many homesteaders, this involves scouting for land with access to freshwater or relying on established sources like wells or springs. However, even these systems are not foolproof – pumps can fail, and unexpected issues can arise. A comprehensive homestead water plan must take into account the unique characteristics of each farm or home, as there is no one-size-fits-all solution.
By acknowledging this complexity, we can create a watertight plan that ensures our animals remain healthy and crops continue to thrive even in the face of adversity.
Reasons for Having a Homestead Water Plan
When it comes to water scarcity, the reasons are as varied as they are unpredictable. Whether it’s the devastating force of a hurricane, the crippling effects of an ice storm, or the prolonged dryness of a drought, families can find themselves without access to running water. For those living in regions prone to thunderstorms and blizzards, power outages and resulting lack of running water may be a familiar concern.
In such cases, it’s essential to have a plan in place for harvesting rainwater, as the abundance of H2O around us is useless without a strategy for collecting and utilizing it. Similarly, issues with frozen or broken pipes, plumbing maintenance, or repairs can also leave households without running water. For those living in drought-prone areas, having a plan to capture and utilize water becomes even more crucial during times of scarcity.
Factors to Consider
Drinking Water
The CDC suggests a minimum of 3 gallons of water per person in case of an emergency, which translates to about a gallon per day for three days, sufficient for drinking, cooking, and basic hygiene tasks. While this guideline provides a solid starting point, it’s essential to consider individual circumstances that may influence the amount of water needed. For instance, the ages and health conditions of household members can impact the recommended daily ration.
Additionally, caring for elderly or young family members often requires extra attention to cleanliness, which may necessitate additional water storage. In light of these factors, it’s advisable to maintain a surplus supply of water to accommodate unexpected demands.
Animals and Plants
When it comes to caring for animals and plants, understanding their water requirements is crucial. The daily consumption of water varies among species, with some animals increasing their intake during hot months. It’s essential to factor in the peak demand rather than just the average, ensuring you’re prepared for unexpected situations. Similarly, droughts or limited access to a nearby water source can be devastating for plant growth.
To mitigate these risks, having a contingency plan in place, such as storing extra water or implementing soil water retention methods, can be the difference between life and death for your plants.
Location
While urban dwellers may be insulated from power outages’ effects on their water supply, courtesy of gravity-fed water towers, those in rural areas rely on well-pumps to maintain a steady flow. The difference lies in the time it takes for issues to manifest: city residents might not notice a problem until a water tower’s stored capacity is depleted, whereas well-users would immediately sense a disruption when their pump ceases functioning.
Furthermore, location can influence one’s ability to store or collect water, as well as the necessity of doing so.
Water Storage
When it comes to creating a water storage plan, many individuals immediately think about keeping some on hand at their residence. One popular approach is to utilize various storage methods right where you live. This can include using rain barrels, installing cisterns, or simply storing water in jugs or containers.
Rain Barrels and Cisterns
Rainwater collection systems, such as rain barrels and cisterns, offer a practical way to harvest larger quantities of water for various uses. A cistern is a substantial reservoir, often integrated into a home’s foundation, while rain barrels are typically positioned beneath gutters to store water for future use. Rain barrels serve as an accessible means to collect water runoff, providing an alternative solution when installing a cistern isn’t feasible.
Moreover, you can construct your own rain barrel using a watertight garbage can and a downspout, making it a DIY-friendly option.
Jugs
When it comes to storing large quantities of water within a house, garage, or basement, various types of jugs and barrels can be used. Some individuals opt for 50-gallon drums filled with tap water in their basement for bulk storage. Water cooler jugs, on the other hand, typically hold between 5-10 gallons of water, depending on the size purchased. These jugs are relatively affordable, offering an immediate source of drinking water that can be refilled from a on-site water source once empty.
While bottled water is a readily available option for many, it may not be the most effective solution. Some brands can lead to increased thirst due to a lack of essential electrolytes, making it difficult for the body to properly absorb water. As such, alternative solutions may be necessary.
Water Treatment/Filtering
When preparing to store water for an extended period, proper storage and treatment are crucial. The first step is to ensure the water is clean and stored in a sanitary container. Treating drinking water with bleach is a common method, but great care must be taken to avoid over-treatment. In fact, just one drop of bleach is needed to treat a quart of water. For added convenience, tablets or treatment systems can be purchased for emergency situations.
If you’re hauling water from an unclean source, consider letting it settle and filtering it through a clean cloth or filter before boiling. Boiling the water for 1-3 minutes (depending on altitude) will render it safe to drink. A good quality water filter can remove heavy metals, sediment, and bacteria, making it a worthwhile investment. However, keep in mind that filters won’t eliminate salt, and a reverse osmosis system may be necessary for long-term drinking water purification.
Additionally, testing the water from your source before consumption is essential. At-home test kits or professional on-site testing can help you determine the best course of action to make your water safe and healthy.
Water Sources
In the absence of conventional water sources, it’s crucial to identify and utilize alternative freshwater supplies, such as springs, ponds, creeks, and artisanal wells that may be found along roads. It’s also essential to determine the quality and safety of these water sources. If saltwater is available but not freshwater, learning how to desalinate it can be a lifesaver.
Furthermore, consider your geographic location and local weather patterns, as some regions offer unique opportunities for collecting water. For instance, in arid or drought-prone areas, dew collection at night or utilizing plants that retain water can provide a vital source of hydration. Ultimately, when rain, snow, and ice are available, they can be harnessed to collect water, which can be sufficient to sustain you through challenging times.
Hauling Water
Without a steady flow of water into your home, you’ll need an alternative solution to get it there. Hauling water isn’t a small task, especially when you’re dealing with multiple animals on the homestead. In emergency situations, you might be able to get by without clean water for a short period, but prolonged droughts require more substantial plans than just storing a few gallons per person in your basement. For instance, our farm has multiple freshwater sources, including a creek and pond.
However, these can sometimes run dry during the summer months or become too far away to make hauling water efficient. With pigs, chickens, turkeys, ducks, and a dog relying on us for their needs, we’ve found it essential to collect as much rainwater as possible to minimize the physical demands of daily chores.
Cleaning-up Purposes
Water plays a multifaceted role in daily life beyond just quenching thirst and caring for animals. Its importance extends to cooking, cleaning, and various other household tasks. From dealing with everyday messes like spilled milk, sticky fingers, and dirty dishes to more significant water-intensive activities like making pasta, bread, and soup, or even doing laundry, it’s astonishing how much water we use in a single day.
As such, incorporating responsible water usage habits into a homestead plan is crucial for long-term sustainability. Take stock of your daily routines – how often do you shower, wash dishes, flush the toilet, and engage in other water-dependent activities? By identifying areas where changes can be made to minimize excessive hauling, you’ll be better equipped to manage your water resources effectively.
Five Gallon Pails
When preparing for off-grid living, it’s crucial to consider alternative methods for accessing water. One such approach is installing a hand pump near the house or animal structures, which can significantly reduce the need for hauling water in the event of an electrical outage. By keeping a reliable water source nearby, you’ll save time and energy by not having to travel far to retrieve it. Five-gallon pails are an indispensable asset on any homestead.
We utilize them for a wide range of tasks, including hauling feed, water, sap, butchering animals, storing food, and more. When transporting pails of water, it’s often more practical to divide the load into two buckets, carrying one in each hand rather than shouldering a single, heavier pail. This distribution of weight ensures you remain upright and prevents the bucket from knocking against your legs.
During winter months, we always keep a supply of empty pails with lids stored indoors, which allows us to fill them with water from the taps without having to venture outside when the exterior taps freeze. If we were forced to melt snow for animal consumption, keeping pails inside would spare us the additional trip required to retrieve one. In sub-zero temperatures, a cover on top of a pail or jug serves as a vital safeguard against water splashing out and onto your person.
Additionally, this simple precaution prevents unnecessary trips between animals and water sources.
Ways to Help Save Water
When contemplating the unlikely scenario of never having access to running water again, it’s essential to look back at how our ancestors managed their daily routines. How did they do dishes, wash laundry, bathe, cook, clean, or care for animals? The tendency to assume that things have always been the way they are today is understandable, but many old farmhouses in my area didn’t receive running water until the 1970s, making it a relatively new convenience.
In fact, not everyone has access to it even today. In the past, laundry and baths were once-a-week luxuries, and people made do with basins of water for washing hands, faces, and feet. Fewer dishes meant fewer dishes to wash, and having water readily available was a major chore, so it was treated as the precious resource it is.
The advice ‘fill a tub if you know a big storm is coming’ takes on new significance in winter, when warm or hot water can not only keep your home cozy but also provide easy access to water during power outages. In this context, 5-gallon pails become some of the most valuable possessions on the homestead. They can serve as a sink, washtub, storage container, haul water and veggies from the garden, or even function as a makeshift toilet.
Toilets
When discussing water conservation, toilets are often overlooked. However, they also require water to function properly. To prepare for bathroom usage during a crisis, you can either opt for a composting toilet using a bucket or continue flushing your toilet if you can refill the water tank. It’s essential to have a plan in place, as in the event of a power outage and failed well pump, you’ll only be able to use your toilet for 1-2 full flushes before it stops working altogether.
In such situations, the old adage ‘if it’s brown, flush it down; if it’s yellow, stay mellow’ proves particularly useful.
Recycling Water
In areas where droughts are common, grey water systems offer a valuable resource for extending your household’s water supply. A notable aspect of these systems is that certain soaps and cleaning products can be safely repurposed for gardening or other uses after breaking down. Furthermore, leftover cooking water from vegetables or eggs can be utilized for irrigating houseplants or even providing drinking water for animals once it has cooled.
The added bonus in this case is the transfer of vitamins and minerals to the plants or animals being watered, making it a more nutritious option.
Fire Considerations
Water plays a crucial role in ensuring fire safety at the homestead, and our experience highlights its importance. We use a large water tank to supply drinking water for animals grazing on pasture, but it’s gravity-fed, relying on natural flow rather than a pump. Our chicken coop suffered a devastating blaze one year, and we had that same tank situated nearby. Unfortunately, without a pump, we were unable to access the water to combat the fire effectively.
Losing our flock of chickens, along with the coop, was a painful reminder of the value of having a reliable means of accessing water in the event of an emergency. A gas-powered pump for our portable water tank could have made all the difference, potentially putting out the fire quickly and saving valuable assets.
Mulch
By incorporating mulch into your gardening routine, many green-thumbed enthusiasts are able to significantly reduce their water consumption throughout the growth cycle. This simple yet effective approach not only saves time spent hauling or spraying water but also ensures that plants remain well-hydrated and healthy even during prolonged dry spells, allowing gardeners to focus on other aspects of their gardening journey.
Making Your Homestead Water Plan
To establish an effective homestead water plan, start by assessing your emergency water requirements. This involves determining your household’s water needs in the event of an unexpected situation. Once you have a clear understanding of what you need, you can move on to setting goals for your water storage and collection methods. Will you rely on rainwater harvesting or haul water from a nearby stream?
Do you want to incorporate features like hand pumps or additional filtration systems into your property? With your goals in mind, create lists of necessary supplies and tasks that will help bring your vision to life. As you achieve each goal, be sure to test its effectiveness to identify any potential flaws or areas for improvement. If your initial plan falls short, don’t worry – it’s all part of the process.
You may need to revisit your goals and make adjustments, such as adding larger rain barrels or more robust filtration systems, until you have a comprehensive plan that meets your needs.
