RE: Converting a swimming pool into a cistern
- Subject: RE: Converting a swimming pool into a cistern
- From: &* N* <m*@internode.on.net>
- Date: Fri, 17 Jul 2009 07:57:26 +0930
|
Hello -- the former librarian of the Los Angeles County Arboretum
forwarded your e-mail correspondence about converting swimming pools to
cisterns. Wonderful idea. I have a question: How do you deal with mosquitoes?
Sorry to pile in! Emily Green 2158 323 732 4875 e-mail: emily.green@mac.com Hi Ben and all others interested in
converting pools etc. The best way to prevent mosquitoes is to
either have a totally insect-proofed structure, or to allow native frogs to get
into the cistern, or even sm native fishes. We sometimes get frogs but we find
the best way is to leave the pump running on re-circulate for a few hours every
week; the disturbance to the water is enough to stop the mosquito larvae from
surviving in the pool water. Of course, nothing is perfect – even chemicals or
a surface skim of kerosene which would give 100% death certainty but wouldn’t
be good when the water went onto the garden. We also minimise the risks of other
mossie breeding places such as the water catching saucers of our pot plants,
animal and bird water bowls etc by flushing them out every day or two as we do
our walks around the garden. Cheers Trevor N. From:
owner-medit-plants@ucdavis.edu [mailto:owner-medit-plants@ucdavis.edu] On Behalf Of Ben Wiswall Hi Trevor, Thanks for fleshing that out: I don't mind if you use metric, I have
one of those handy composition notebooks that has all the conversion values on
the back cover. Congratulations on creating a garden fed only with rainwater! Regarding the monochrome green garden of the Romantics and fertilizer
salesman, I actually agree with you, I doubt I would plant such a garden.
I do require shade though: unless you're within a mile or so of the
Pacific, southern However, I have a hard time with the alternatives proposed by most
waterwise advocates, nearly all of which have extensive areas of shredded bark
mulch. In a wide, casual, country setting, accompanied by large evergreen
oaks, a mulched ground with scattered shrubs and perennials can work. In a suburban tract with a homeowners association, it just doesn't.
Even when it is permitted, a garden featuring native shrubs in a lot of
visible mulch looks dusty and unstructured and rather impoverished when the
neighbors all have mown lawns and dead-headed roses. So, if I forego lawns and roses, I still want a garden that will stand
up to the neighbors' well-groomed and flowery yards. For me this means more
drought-tolerant plants, and more unusual plants, but planted densely enough to
harmonize with the rest of the neighborhood. Trevor, what do you grow in your garden? If you pass on the green
roof and the green floor, what do you have instead? Do you have a gravel
lawn beneath Plane trees with a green shrubbery border, as is sometimes seen in
southern Thanks, Ben A-W From: Hi Ben & others who are interested in
pool conversions The pool is 45ft long x 20ft wide x 8ft
deep grading to 3 feet. I think/ guess it is about 50,000 gallons – we think in
Centimetres and litres so it’s a bit hard for me. It to 3 days and nights to
fill when we first filled it with the tap running full bore. Our garden is almost a half an acre,
slight slope to the SW – most exposed to afternoon heat in summer, very shallow
slightly acidic sandy loam over fractured shale and quartzite. No, the gutters go into our two big new
rainwater tanks. The s/pool almost fills entirely on what rain gets through the
slatted deck that now sits over the old pool hole. I will try to send a photo
of what it looks like. We use a submerged pump permanently in
place with a long 1” diameter hose attached. We don’t use an irrigation system
but move the hose to flood, pond and soak areas as needed – as I said old trees
and our veg patch plus a bit for my greenhouse of Madagascan and South African
plants. I have designed our garden so it gets by
with grey water and the above stored water. We do not use potable tap water on
the garden except for my wife’s few potted plants on our front porch. We have switched our psychological and
cultural focus from gardening in Spring, Summer and Autumn with a winter rest
(the old Anglo-European tradition) to gardening in Autumn, Winter and Spring
with a summer rest. That makes sense to us, saves summer work and watering, and
is in tune with what happens naturally Down Here. That way we work with our
seasons and do not try to fight them. Philosophically I don’t believe that
gardens should be green from top to bottom, front to back, side to side. It’s a
concept based on an Arcadian fantasy developed by the Romantic poets and
novelists. We shouldn’t expect it; it’s not a real possibility: everything has
its season of growth and rest, of green-ness and dormancy or brown-ness. In
American terms it’s a bit too Hollywood. Florence Yoch has a lot to answer for.
As do American lawn companies, fertilizer companies and chemical companies –
those in the All the plants you list would grow well here
under our circumstances IF I chose to grow them. I don’t. Hope this helps. trevor From:
owner-medit-plants@ucdavis.edu [mailto:owner-medit-plants@ucdavis.edu] On Behalf Of Ben Wiswall Hi Trevor, Thanks for the info! It sounds like your climate, with five months of utterly rainless
summer, is comparable to southern What is the pool's capacity? And how large is your garden? I assume roof gutters now feed the pool/cistern? Do you use a pump to water the garden with a hose, or is it connected
to some kind of irrigation system? By late summer the pool is empty: how much of your garden water
could realistically be supplied by the pool/cistern alone? If you did rely solely on harvested rainwater, would you have enough
water to have a garden with a green roof and a green floor? (For example,
Callistemon citrinus and Myoporum parvifolium, or Olea europea and Sedum
anglicum, or Rhus lancea and Drosanthemum rosea, etc.?) Those are just my
minimum requirements for a mediterranean zone garden: in the true desert, I
might tolerate a groundcover of gravel or DG, but not here. If you know, let me know. Thanks, Ben Armentrout-Wiswall From: We did it two years ago. A standard
in-ground concrete pool was converted to a cistern of sorts – the affordable
sort. We fitted a wooden deck over the top with gaps between the slats so rain
can get in; a trapdoor for inspections, access to submersible pump and access
to sweep out dirt and leaves etc during late summer when it has run dry. The
supporting structure is a framework of water-proof timber. Cost me around $6000
Australian and could be done by any competent wood-structures builder with a
helper or two. We use the water ONLY for our garden. To comply with building
regulations/ health regs etc to save drinking water we would have to have a
sealed pool with guttering from an adjacent garage, it would have to be
mosquito proof – absolutely, and the internal support structures would have to
be of non-rusting steel fabricated to fit + pump and access point. Our quote
from the same builder we used was around $20,000 – hardly economic for us. As it is the pool/ tank/ cistern doesn’t
quite fill over a regular winter – last yr very below average, this yr going
above but it is a very handy contributor to keeping established trees and veg
garden going through our usual 5 month hot and utterly rainless summer. And we
can still add 3 more narrow profile tanks to collect 15,000 litres from our
garage. This is my next project – maybe 2011 if I can get my books
re-published. It is hard work when you are on a super-pension so DO IT WHILE
YOU ARE STILL IN WORK if you can. Regards Trevor N. From:
owner-medit-plants@ucdavis.edu [mailto:owner-medit-plants@ucdavis.edu] On Behalf Of Ben Wiswall Hi All, Has anyone any experience with converting a swimming pool into a
cistern? There was an article about it on a Metropolitan Water District
website, and though we don't have a pool, this would make sense for someone who
had a pool but didn't really use it. -Ben Armentrout-Wiswall |
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