Gardeners Investing in Cisterns to Make it Through the Dry Days

The past winter resulted in the lowest snow-pack levels in Lower British Columbia on record and water supplies for the summer throughout the Pacific Northwest of N. America are tight. Although it has been raining lately, many gardeners here and in other areas will soon be faced with dry conditions and water restrictions. Home water management can help.

One option for homeowners is to store their own rainwater. A simple rain barrel will store enough to get a garden through the worst of the dry season, but people with extensive landscapes may opt for larger systems with underground cisterns.

How the water is delivered to the plants is equally important. Experts recommend soaker hoses and drip irrigation to put the water where it is needed, while reducing losses by evaporation.

Links:

• NW Gardens: Ways to conserve water are beginning to soak in from the Seattle Post Intelligencer


• Rain Barrel Information and Sources from King County, Wastewater Treatment Division of the Department of Natural Resources and Parks


• Rainwater Harvesting a links page from HarvestH₂O.com. The independently managed organization offers a wealth of water management information.

Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 2:19 PM on June 21, 2005

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