We capture and treat rainwater differently according to how it is going to be used. There are three distinct uses:
- High grade potable water for drinking and food preparation
- Medium grade non-potable water for washing, bathing and toilet flushing
- Untreated water for plant irrigation
Our approach is not only about the cost of unnecessary treatment. The ideal chemical composition for each use is different.
High grade drinking water is collected from our conservatory roofs. One centimetre of rain provides 5 weeks worth of water. When pumped back into the homes, water is filtered through a string filter, to remove small particles; a carbon filter, to remove dissolved chemicals; and is then sterilised with ultraviolet light.
Non-potable water is collected from rainfall on the road and fields, and stored in a reservoir. Algae is kept to a minimum through the use of barley straw, with slow sand filtration used to remove solids and organic matter before the water reaches a holding tank ready for use in the homes.
Vegetables are irrigated with untreated water, benefitting from any organic matter and avoiding the damaging chlorine found in mains water supplies.