Rainwater harvesting has had a few roadblocks, but one of the largest was removed in May 2018. In May, the Standards Council of Canada in conjunction with the Canadian Standards Association and International Code Council, released the long awaited Rainwater Harvesting Systems National Standard, CSA B805-18/ICC 805-2018. Why is this a big deal? Policy people…
Drought Proofing
BC Drought Map link What can you do to prepare for droughts? Actually it is fairly simple but planning starts now. You need to prepare by supercharging your landscape, supercharging your soils, choosing vegetation that is drought tolerant, and having a water supply that can fill in the gaps when watering restrictions otherwise say “you can’t…
Rainwater Harvesting by Eco-Sense
What’s Up…. Rainwater! On southern Vancouver Island after the summer of 2015 you may be thinking a lot about water. You may be thinking of water security for your food garden in the face of drought, or perhaps an emergency source to draw upon after an earthquake, or a back up source for fire suppression. …
Hindsight is 2020 – now.
This past year has lead to designs that include underground concrete cisterns, integrated rainwater/well water systems, a small water system for a community serviced by well, bylaw writing for a municipal government, discovering contamination of an aquifer, and ended with the beginning of a new project that puts us in the belly of commercial buildings in…
When In Drought – By Mike Graeme
Concrete Garden Magazine’s Mike Graeme has written an excellent article that integrates so many aspects – a pleasure to read. When In Drought | Mike Graeme
Danger call from the Province
There was a danger call from the Provincial Government on June 7 2019 that all of the Gulf Islands and Vancouver Island were now classified as Stage 3 water restrictions. This bypassed many water utilities, and is a very significant action. Read more at these links: Times Colonist Nanaimo News Bulletin Straight Magazine Quick and…
Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District’s Agricultural Rainwater Program
New Benefits for Rainwater Storage and Collection! Access to affordable, accessible, and quality supply of water is essential to agriculture, and climate instability is compounding concerns for producers.In 2016, the ACRD asked the Province to support agricultural collection and storage of rainwater via a resolution to the Union of BC Municipalities. Other communities and groups have made…
Responsible Water Alternatives
As Capetown faces Day Zero when water will no longer flow to the residents, we are seeing activity around water conservation on Vancouver Island and Vancouver. Within a matter of weeks we have presented our most popular presentation, our 1.5 hour Responsible Water Alternatives to various water boards, community groups, and for regional governments to…
Water Sovereignty – Scarcity
It was just a matter of time, and now that time has arrived. A US company is suing Canada $10.5 Billion for not being able to export water from here to the US. Here is the article link. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/u-s-firm-sues-canada-for-10-5-billion-over-water-1.180821 Water drought for Vancouver Island is ahead of schedule this year… more so than last….
Composting Toilet & Greywater Regulations
The Province of BC now has regulations governing grey water and composting toilets. BC Sewerage System Regulations page (scroll to the bottom) The Manual of Composting Toilets & Grey Water Practice document. This manual is detailed, it is technical, and designed mostly for those folks doing design and install and the other regulatory professionals that…
The Role of Bacteria
Bacteria play a role in purifying water – connecting the dots between safe water, biodiversity and science.
Emergency Water
Planning for disruption to your potable water supply is a primary goal, especially on the west coast where we are in a High Seismic Zone. Looking back on Christchurch after their earthquake it is no longer good enough to have 72 hrs worth of supplies, and a month to three months may be required if…
Fire Suppression
Preparing for the unexpected
Rainwater Harvesting 