Questions tagged [water-management]

The management of fresh and usable water resources, desalination, waste-water handling and purification.

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23 votes
4 answers
12k views

How can I seal a pond without using a plastic pond liner?

I'd like to create a pond in a wet spot in my yard so that I can plant some beneficial water plants and possibly attract frogs and toads to help control pests. Is it possible to seal the pond so that ...
Daniel Bingham's user avatar
23 votes
1 answer
1k views

Before drilling a well, how can I determine any water table impact?

I own a property that has no water service and thus I need to drill a well. My neighbors have expressed concern about the water table being lowered by too many people with wells in the area. Before ...
WilliamKF's user avatar
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20 votes
5 answers
723 views

What is a good way to produce drinking water?

I want to make sure I have a sustainable water source for one household. If I have a source of reasonably safe water like rain water or ground water, how can I purify this water to a level that I ...
iDeveloper's user avatar
12 votes
4 answers
12k views

Why can't solar stills convert sea water into fresh water?

If I replaced the foliage in this diagram with a gallon of sea water - would the resulting "fresh water" be pure enough for agriculture? For human consumption? Is the process really that ...
GopherKyrslf's user avatar
10 votes
4 answers
425 views

What are the larger-scale options for storing rainwater?

This question is asked in the spirit of "I don't know what I don't know". I have three raised-bed gardens, and I'd like to stop watering them with municipal water and start using collected rain. ...
Jeromy French's user avatar
10 votes
2 answers
225 views

Is it actually possible to have a global "water shortage"

Much has been made lately of the growing prospect "water shortages". The impression is given that we must all conserve, lest we run out of usable water. To my understanding, the planet earth is a "...
ThoughtfulDodger's user avatar
9 votes
3 answers
189 views

Should municipalities consider rain barrels to be suitable substitutes for rain gardens? (Rain barrel vs rain garden)

My county requires rainwater management to be incorporated into lot plans for new construction if a certain percentage of the lot is impervious. This seems a sensible measure. We are under the ...
Jeromy French's user avatar
8 votes
3 answers
199 views

Saving water in day-to-day life

As the climate is varying every year due to various reasons like deforestation, global warming, urbanization, etc., the level of ground water and in rivers is decreasing which in turn is affecting the ...
Arun Gupta's user avatar
7 votes
4 answers
401 views

What items can I reuse to make my own homemade rain barrel on the cheap?

I want to set up a rain barrel to collect water to use in my garden. Any ideas on how I can do this using only or mostly upcycled materials (cheaply)?
luna_moth's user avatar
  • 380
7 votes
2 answers
178 views

How can I build an ecologically conscious dam on a small brook?

I have a brook at the bottom of my property; currently a culvert empties into a small pool that then flows further downhill to the brook. I'm interested in adding a few more feet of depth to the pool ...
user379468's user avatar
7 votes
1 answer
342 views

Is a sump tank necessary for my proposed aquaponics system?

I am designing an aquaponics system for my basement. I am thinking about one large fish tank approximately 3500 gallons. The grow beds will be above the fish tank and consist of twelve 45 gallon ...
Capt. Rib's user avatar
6 votes
2 answers
300 views

Analysis of Water Usage by Family Demographics

I want an analysis of daily water usage that breaks out the data by family type and size in the United States. (Although I am happy to get usage data by demographics for any part of the world if that ...
Doctorambient's user avatar
6 votes
4 answers
175 views

How to reduce evaporation of a dam/catchment water source?

My city has a catchment area for water but due to drought conditions it's getting lower and lower in current capacity, and water restrictions have been placed into effect for residents and businesses ...
Robotnik's user avatar
  • 1,307
6 votes
3 answers
180 views

Is using copper for gutters and roofs a sustainable choice?

I see with some high end housing construction the use of copper for gutters and drain pipes as well as roofs and flashing. Is using copper where it will be exposed to water runoff from rain a good ...
WilliamKF's user avatar
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6 votes
1 answer
164 views

Sizing a stormwater detention pond

I am building a small building on top of a hill. The roof area is 600 square feet. In my area, we get about 39 inches of rain each year, which amounts to 600*38/12 = 1950 cubic feet ~ 14500 gallons ...
Steven Gubkin's user avatar
6 votes
3 answers
1k views

What are the consequences of wasting water in a water-rich country?

I live in Hungary where everyone has access to loads of clean water. Still, common knowledge says that one shouldn't waste water. Apart from the economic factors, like cleaning the water, why ...
domotorp's user avatar
  • 169
5 votes
1 answer
132 views

Does it make sense to save water in cities?

I heard that if citizens don't use enough water, the infrastructure (tubes etc.) takes damage. In order to keep the tubes clean, government agencies flood them with huge amounts of water. Thereby "...
Dominik's user avatar
  • 51
5 votes
3 answers
146 views

Are motion activated faucets more sustainable than traditional faucets?

In the spirit of this question about paper towels vs electric dryers, which types of faucets are most sustainable? The marketing reasons for using motion-activated faucets are that they reduce water ...
LShaver's user avatar
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5 votes
1 answer
114 views

Toilet tank with both water main and waste water (underflow)

I'm looking to supply my toilet tank with rain water and grey water from, say, the washing machine, but if that's not enough water to fill up the tank, I want to use water from the water mains to top ...
Bas's user avatar
  • 241
4 votes
3 answers
337 views

If I have a well, is gray-water really "wasted" when discharged directly in a septic system?

I live on an island dealing with water shortage issues in our sole source aquifer. The community has enacted a number of irrigation restricting laws, and there is significant discussion about various ...
That Idiot's user avatar
  • 1,479
4 votes
1 answer
197 views

Where can I find an in-depth treatment of a Pulser Pump?

I just stumbled across the concept of the [pulser pump] - a pump that uses water flow with a small head to pump part of the water to a higher head. Simiar to a ram pump, but without any moving parts. ...
mart's user avatar
  • 2,836
4 votes
2 answers
2k views

Are aluminum sheets appropriate for rainwater catchment roof?

I was thinking of building a rainwater catchment system at my place in the boonies, but ... I want to make sure -- priority one -- I'm not going to get toxic stuff in my water. I looked at the ...
Kerry Thomas's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
129 views

What are the most sustainable options for filtering tap water for drinking?

I live in Europe (Belgium), where tap water is generally safe for drinking, but may vary in hardness and taste. It's pretty hard and not so good in my area, so I've been using (Brita) water jugs for a ...
ggll's user avatar
  • 141
3 votes
5 answers
236 views

How does one utilize the low pressure of a rain barrel?

We've been considering getting a rain barrel, and I like the idea -- it doesn't make sense to just have the water run off into my yard creating a rut; I'd rather put it to good use. Problem is, my ...
Sidney's user avatar
  • 285
3 votes
1 answer
977 views

Can pumped water energy storage be combined with rainwater harvesting?

A recent question on what to do with harvested rainwater got me thinking about pumped energy storage systems. Since both systems require storage of water for later use, is there a cost-effective way ...
LShaver's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
139 views

Can Hydroponic products be termed as organic food?

Hydroponics using NFT (Nutrient Film Technique) is heavily dependent on inorganic nutrients. However, modern marketing jargons term the food produced as organic and business model as sustainable. ...
PD Pro's user avatar
  • 303
3 votes
2 answers
75 views

Do we have a way to limit rising sea levels in a warmer global climate?

So, let's be honest the global climate is warmer and is going to be even much warmer no matter what. This causes glaciers to melt and more water to move to the oceans, and rising sea levels. This also ...
Bregalad's user avatar
  • 289
3 votes
0 answers
539 views

Ammoniacal Nitrogen (NH3-N) test and sources of ammonia in natural bodies of water

One parameter that's involved in water quality assessment is ammoniacal nitrogen (NH3-N), a measure of ammonia. Where does ammonia come from in natural water sources, such as a river? What factor ...
Dayang's user avatar
  • 31
2 votes
1 answer
459 views

What is blue, green, and grey water?

What is blue, green, and grey water (example)? Is green water only rainwater? I came across words like "mostly rain", "predominantly rain", etc., so it's not only rain, is it? And ...
Sergey Zolotarev's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
33 views

Are there examples of Greywater reuse between buildings?

Are there any documented cases or examples about reusing greywater from a particular building in another adjacent building? For example: Using treated greywater from an office building for toilet ...
akram El mansouri's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
82 views

The most efficient residential water treatment?

I live in a city that is going to ration water so i want to be nearly independent with my water and only needs to add more water on the system eventually. The water i get from the grid is already ...
Freedo's user avatar
  • 281
1 vote
1 answer
28 views

At which points in a pressurized municipal water distribution system are energy-recovering turbines placed as part of "in-pipe energy" generation?

I just watched the June 9, 2023 DW Planet A video In-pipe energy: The hydro power nobody is talking about. It's a "happy story" video light on data and specifics. There's a demonstration for ...
uhoh's user avatar
  • 425
1 vote
1 answer
57 views

How to gravity feed differently sized rain collection tanks at equal rates?

I recently purchased two 300 gallon tanks to supplement my existing two 55 gallon barrels, allowing me to do some more legitimate rainwater harvesting. I've been really intrigued by manifold system ...
elduderino260's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
100 views

How do I create a cheap solar still?

I am trying to create a cheap and easy way to distill water. I learned through some research and talking with people that making a solar still is the best way. I really would like a cheap solution to ...
Rahul Vijayan's user avatar