to chlorinate or not to chlorinate...

When I researched Ozzikleen online to see what others had said about it, I didn't come across much. But there was one mention that gave me cause for alarm, in a 2006 forum posting:

From Aussies Living Simply forum (scroll down to about 2/3rds way down)

What a horrendous mistake we made back 3 years ago when we were so new to this game. We were told that we could no longer allow our grey water to run off under the house as it was. We were running a septic tank for our toilet system. Because we were townies and had absolutely no idea about anything to do with owning a rural property we were crapping our daks about the council and felt pressured to do what they told us to do. With a million and one other things that had to be done including building a retaining wall to stop the house from falling off the face of the earth before we could purchase the property we were lured into purchasing a biocycle system (OzziKleen). Now that I have had a chance to do heaps more research I would certainly have gone with another system.

As Frosty points out, it is very expensive (cost us $15,000 with plumbing inc). Worse than that though, because we use such little water there is a really strong chlorine smell that eminates from it when it flushes itself out, which is quite regularly and there is an ongoing cost forever of $60 ( currently) every 3 months to service it. Grrrrrrrrrrrr. I am not saying that it is an inferior product at all, just not what I now would have chosen.

The discussion continued with many pointing out the problems of the chlorine smell with these systems - but then others saying that you didn't always have to add chlorine; that it depended on your council/how it was being used. So I asked Dad to follow up with the local plumber to find out the situation for us.

Dad replied that Malcolm said there was no need to have chlorine if the water from the system went to pipes under compost. The law requires chlorine if it comes to be above the ground before absorption into the earth. He advises not to have chlorine because there is no advantage. The chlorine is not set at a level that will render the water to drinking water standard, or bathing standard either. But it cannot be stored for long unless it has chlorine. Hence if you wish to pump the water from the system into the cistern of your toilets you must chlorinate it. If not, don't chlorinate it.

(And in any case, we aren't allowed to store it even if chlorinated at the moment, so the whole point is moot).

We will definitely be looking to go with a non-chlorinated approach - besides being more environmentally friendly, it will be cheaper and less risk of smell.

more info on Ozzikleen system

Dad sends more information about the Ozzikleen wastewater treatment system...

Email from Dad (Feb 12)

Hi again,

Here is a scan of part of the brochure sent to me by Ozzikleen.



I have taken time today to call the Vic Rep to enquire of some factors that impact on your use of the water:

1. Malcolm said the system could be upgraded to another level of water treatment by installing a sand filter initially. Russell, the Vic Manager said this was possible and that back washing it quarterly as part of the EPA required periodic maintenance would be about $25 extra. The cost of maintenance for other things is about $80-85. If you add chlorine it costs more. There are many applications for the water which doesn't require chlorine to be added according to Malcolm so we need to check this out as chlorine costs about $25 extra too. The water is tested and the chlorine concentration required set and is then added automatically by the system for that quarter.

2. I explained that the system will not be commissioned for many years and that Malcolm advised that we could extract the submersible pump, which is contained in a PVC cylinder, and store this in the shed so no maintenance or deterioration was going to happen while this period passed. He agreed with this appraisal.

3. The natural next question was whether rainwater could be stored in the tank during this period before commissioning and pumped out to use on the garden or/wherever. He said the tanks were made from potable water grade PVC so that would not pose a problem.

4. I then asked about the greywater system. Before commissioning a starter kit of bacteria is placed into the tank's 3000 litre treatment section. Water is pumped into a pumping well as the next stage, which is ready for use, but only 300 litres. This is of great concern because I had wanted to pump water from this reserve on an automatic basis into the cistern supply to flush the toilets. That is one of the main functions of the pumping well. When this well is full it is automatically dispersed to the irrigation field, or wherever we choose.

5. So I asked then if I could disperse it to the open stock tank and use it for growing the water lilies. A phase of this would be to aerate the water that has a dual purpose of allowing uptake of oxygen and purification by sunlight. He agreed that this would be entirely okay.

6. I asked if I could store it in a tank for dispersal later, and he said that was fine because of the chlorination process. So you can get set-up to store water for irrigation at a time and to where you like. I asked about using it on vegetable and fruit, and he said this was perfectly alright and permitted. So it could be pumped uphill to the irrigation tank and await use on the garden where-ever you choose and whenever you choose. I would prefer you chose to keep the irrigation tank used for the dam water separate from that acquired from the greywater. I think pumping it to a tank on the other side of the house but uphill of the walled garden would be the best solution, but that is your call. I think where possible you should distribute the water as soon as possible to sites about the property as needed by plants.

Update (April 2009): Unfortunately, we later learned that storing the water for later dispersal may not be possible for us, at least initially. It would be perfectly safe to do so given the treatment to the water, but the local council apparently doesn't allow it yet. It's a bit like when I was a kid they used to ban (seriously!) rainwater tanks in suburbs - vs now they give subsidies to encourage people to install. Apparently some councils are already more flexible on this, so hopefully ours will have changed by the time we move back...

7. I spoke at length to Malcolm about the irrigation system. He said we could setup the system with a manifold which permited by valve management routing water to whereever we wished it. At present we cannot plan to store any of the black water, but that may be possible one day. That is the smaller supply because it involves only water used when flushing the toilet. The showers, washing machine, kitchen wastes, etc goes to the greywater system. A grease trap is usually incorporated in the waste from the kitchen supply. There are several sizes of traps available. This is part of the connection to the house phase of the plumbing and doesn't need be involved in this septic waste system right now.

Will talk more later. I strongly advise you to use OzzieKleen. I am much more impressed with their product range than with Septech, and having Malcolm to maintain it and advise on other plumbing design is going to be great.

Septech out, Ozzikleen in

So, continuing in the saga of the wastewater treatment system. We are now almost certain to be going with an alternative supplier: Ozzikleen

Dad's email from Feb 3rd:

Hi again. I have good news on the septic system. I have heard nothing from Mike at Septech, even after my second phone call and his promise to action his second quote that very afternoon.

So today I called Ozzi-Kleen again. Their sales manager got in touch with a plumber in Castlemaine who is a regular installer of these systems over the last 6 years or more. He phoned me and spoke for quite a long time. I will be meeting him on the block next week. He is very interested in doing the plumbing of the house. He has 3 men working for him. He said he likes to get the owners to install the irrigation system because it is cheaper for them then and they better understand the system. He said he could arrange the delivery of the system to the block. I will give him all things needed to quote the job and discuss plans for development next week when I am there. I hope you don't expect me to chase after Mike for a quote any longer - if quoting is so difficult how might getting the work done and servicing be later. No, I am not disposed to use Septech any longer. It is your call of course, but I have to be frank.

Update (April 2009): After Dave stepped in and started chasing, we did eventually get a quote from Septech - but it turned out to be just the same as the standard one they'd sent us months earlier, without any of the in-between discussion incorporated. A little annoying... Then, when we looked into Ozzikleen a little more, it sounded like their system might be better anyway. Specifically it isn't so sensitive, you wouldn't have to restrict yourself to just special cleaners, and it seemed like it would be less hassle to install. Also, Ozzikleen had a plumber locally (well within 1 hour's drive which counts as local there!) who was interested in the work - and crucially able to meet our timing. So, in the end, Ozzikleen is who we chose.

idea for a shower

I found this on Ebay. It's too expensive (and too far away) to bid on, but wanted to make a note of it as perhaps we can build our own. It'd make a great outdoor shower, as well as a way to make sure you didn't use too much water.



It's an old (1810) portable watersaver shower. You apparently pumped water up to the top using something like an old tyre pump. Then you had your shower and the water collected in the bottom where you could pump it back up again.

water tanks

We're toying with the idea of getting more water tanks installed sooner rather than later. But first, there's some decisions to make.

The first question is how much capacity we need.

We know we need about 5000 gallons dedicated just for firefighting.

Dave was then thinking we could get away with having an additional 12000 gallons for household use (bearing in mind that almost everything that goes on the garden will be recycled). But a lady I talked to in Rushworth said she got through 2000 gallons in a fortnight for her household of 3 people, which makes me fear 12000 might be cutting it fine.

I'd far rather err on the side of having more rather than less capacity, not least since if we ever have to resort to trucking in water it'd be better if we had more space on-site to store it. But at the same time, water tanks are expensive so don't want to be stupid about it.

We asked Eric what he thought:

Back when we lived in the bush, we had two, 20,000 ltr (5,000 gallon) tanks. All garden irrigation was via the dam water. Dam water also supplied the toilet and the laundry (cold only.) Our rainfall was somewhere in the region of 700-800 mm per. We never actually emptied one tank all the way. I suppose that a single 20,000 ltr tank may have worked, but I wouldn't have wanted to cut it that fine. I'm wondering if the 2000 gallons (8000 ltrs) in a fortnight included gardening. My feeling would be that 2 x 20,000 ltr tanks should be sufficient. Add a third if you want extra security.

Check how much water is required by the CFA. In most areas that I have dealt with, they required 10,000 ltrs. Generally, that can either by a "static" water supply (ie a stand alone tank that just sits there full of water waiting for a fire.) It can also be part of your domestic water tank. Do this by fitting a CFA valve at the bottom of the tank, and the outlet for house use part way up the tank. This means that there would always be a certain amount of water in the tank even if the house runs low. In any case, I would fit a CFA valve to all tanks. It doesn't cost much extra, and if the house catches on fire, most of us would like the CFA to use any water that is available.

Based on this, I'm thinking we'll plan on getting big tanks that can store 40,000 litres = equivalent to two 5000 gallon tanks to begin, but build in space so we can easily add a third. We'll also still have the little baby tanks that can be used to collect and hold water from various sheds and so forth, but I reckon you can probably never have enough water tanks when you live in a dry area. We'll also take the advice about having CFA valves on tanks at a level higher up than the house water, rather than a separate dedicated tank. That way they'll be able to use all the water we have rather than it be restricted to just one tank.

The second question is what colour/style of tank to use.

We've decided to put the tanks up the top, above the house and to go with above-ground tanks rather than under-ground as they seem to be a lot cheaper.

We started off thinking we'd mix them in a variety in different sizes and heritage colours to make it look almost sculptural, but Eric has now changed our minds:

"I use light colours like beige (I know that the work has negative connotations.) Light colours will reflect heat, keeping water cooler. Also, light colours disappear into the background a bit more. I would never use a green tank, especially dark green. They stand out like dogs ..... Metal tanks look the most "authentic." The plain galv metal tanks really suit the australian landscape. The ones used for houses have a PVC lining on the inside. It is a food grade plastic, but some people are concerned about he PVC"

He also gave us links to two suppliers:

Enviro-friendly tanks: These plastic tanks were recommended by a building biologist that I am working with for delivering water with fewer chemical contaminants than other options.



Or for metal tanks, Blue Scope Steel's aquaplate tanks.



My preference is for the latter, in the shade of 'pale eucalypt' steel.

There's a supplier in Ballarat which is probably our closest option:
BlueScope Water - Western Region, BALLARAT, VIC, 3350
ph: 0412 781 095 fax: 03 9830 4897

articles about swimming ponds

This is something I have thought about for a while, ever since first coming across the concept. I really don't like 'normal' swimming pools, they just look fake and require too much maintenance. But it is going to be so hot there that having somewhere to go for a dip would be good.

A natural pool, aka a swimming pond, seems like it would be a good solution. My only concerns are 1) if it was natural would that mean we risk snakes going into it (my pet horror), and 2) would not the natural appearance be spoiled by the legal requirement to have a fence around it? Or perhaps it would be spared that, by virtue of not being an official swimming pool, like dams are spared.

I have toyed with the idea of it being dug into the hillside, in the space where there's a kind of mini hollow, just down from the olive trees. It would have lovely views there and, if fencing were required, the ground is steep enough that perhaps we could have the fence out view when you're in the pond.

Obviously, this is a luxury so not something we'd rush into, but still worth thinking over.

Here are a couple of articles about it, and I'll add more as I find them.

Take a swim on the wild side - The Garden, July 2005



Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6


Swimming ponds - The Garden, May 2004



(This is part of my slightly insane project to 'file' potentially useful articles that I read, so I have a chance of finding them in future)

plumbing and septic saga (part 1)

As part of the submission to get planning & building permits for the old house, we need to include information about the kind of septic system we will be using and water supply arrangements.

The general consensus is that it makes most sense to plan for systems to support both the old & new house. Even though it will cost us more in the short term, it'll save money in the long run.

For water supply, we're planning to put in some big water tanks up on the hill to enable us to get sufficient pressure from gravity feeding. They'll be filled by collecting water from the roof of buildings into the small storage tanks (the ones we've already bought several of) and pumping up.

We haven't decided on precisely which septic system to go for yet as it will depend on pricing, but provided it is suitable for our soil and not outrageously more expensive I'm strongly in favour of an aerated-type system rather than the traditional septic tank. This way, we'll get to recycle more of the water.

This was all too boring to blog as it happened, but I wanted to keep a record of it. So, this is a compilation of all the plumbing and septic related discussion that happened in November:

From Dad's email (Nov 11th):
"We have to have a plumber submit a plan for septic system. I
managed to get a Maryborough plumber to see the place while I was
up there. There was a list provided by the council surveyor of plumbers
who are able to do the work in the area, and I called 6 before I got
onto the chap who was willing to come see the place and discuss with me
the placement of the required service. The plumber must submit the
plans for the septic before a permit to build can be approved. Also a
plumber must do all the plumbing work.

I discussed placement of the header tank for the water supply to obtain
pressure to service the system. We will be placing the tank in the
passage above ceiling in the roof space. That position will afford
adequate pressure for hot water to the laundry and ensuite. It will
be less obvious than on the roof of a veranda. It will be well
protected against water damage should a leak occur. The old tank
will be tested and if it is still good and can be used we will place
it there. Otherwise we must get another. The plumber mentioned
also that we need to have a tank higher up the hill or on a tank
stand that will give adequate water pressure for the house.

There is a minimum supply of water required for the permit to be
granted. We require 20000 litres ready to supply for fire fighting,
and a minimum of 5000 litres of potable. We have when full 13,638
litres as they sit now, but we need greater pressure for the house
and future house.

I propose we place a 5000 gal, that is 22,730 litre, tall profile
tank as far up the top of the hill as possible. That is just where
the peak of the roadway to the hobbithouse passes by the fenceline.
Since we must not build on the fenceline I propose we bring in to
the inside of the roadway and plant more trees or such to obscure
it. The most efficient size tank that can be bought is the 5000
gal for cost/capacity/placement. I will obtain a price for you
before doing anything. That way we have to pump the water up to
the top tank periodically. The new house should be served thus
for the firefighting capacity with this tank so placed. I prefer
to not be relying on electricity to fight a fire. The dam is too
distant for the firefightting, except as a supplement supply.
We could meet minimum firefighting needs with the pump we have
if the dam were closer to the house. But precious moments are
lost while setting up a system, and the gravity system is
always at the ready."

Nov 12... extracts from my reply:
"I was a little confused about where you were talking about
putting the giant 5000gln tank... you talked about a roadway to
the hobbit house but there isn't one (or there isn't meant to
be one)... But then I realised you must be talking about the
dirt track that runs through the forest along the fenceline at
the back of our place? I'm still not entirely sure when you
meant exactly but where we'd been thinking the giant tank would
go is behind the old/new house, up the hill as far back as it
can go near the fenceline... but NOT crossing over to the other
hill where the olives are planted & where the gum trees have
started to come in from the forest & where you were thinking of
building your cottage initially. We want to keep all that area
looking natural as we have plans for it as part of the garden".


Nov 12... extracts from Dad followup mail:
"Sewage can wait a bit I think, but still need to hear from
plumber after his talks with the health and sanitation person
about whether we ought to provide for the new house when doing
the system now. That will be a bigger system of course, but
may be cheaper than doing two systems. But it may be better
to have two systems. If costs are right, will go with the system
for new house as that will not be emptying towards the dam. I
think the place for the septic is in the courtyard, if access
by truck is possible into this inner sanctum. I haven't an
idea how large this will be and where the plantings will be,
and so maybe having the sewage elsewhere, say to the back of
the house, is the best plan....

I read of your thoughts of having the large tank behind the house.
If you do that you must go to the concept of using a pressure pump
system rather than a gravity fed system for your water supply. This
way supposes a consistent access to electricity, and so supposes
going on with the other power supply options. I have a suggestion:
Place a 5000 gal tank up on the highest place we can get it. Plant
things to hide it. If when all things are in place for the new
house and new power supply, simply move it somewhere else. A
gravity system is really the only practical system at present.
The woodstove has to be a gravity system to work properly".

On Nov 13 I replied:
"We don't mean to put the tank behind the house close to it,
but instead far up, way near the back fence. This is still going
to be quite high. We don't want it to be on the hill near the
olive trees. If at the fenceline behind the house still isn't
high enough for gravity feed, can't we put it on a tank stand?
For the big tank I would rather put it in it's ultimate place
rather than somewhere that we'll want to move it from. Because
what will end up happening is that it'll be too much hassle to
move so I'll be stuck with it.

In terms of the sewage treatment approach & position, I want to
consult Eric about that as well as Prue. It can't go in the
courtyard area because that will be all dug out to replace the
soil for planting etc. It also shouldn't go next to the old
house in the part that will be next to the kitchen for the new
house, because the plan is for that to be a herb garden area.
Probably it could go out the front of the old house (not sure
how close that is to the gas line though) or down the slope to
the side a bit further towards the dam... but if you can wait a
little while before deciding precisely where it will be then I
can doublecheck with Prue. But first, I want to check with Eric
about the kind of sewage treatment he suggests".


I then got in touch with Eric in case he had any other suggestions about placement of the tanks and choice of septic system type. Here are extracts from his reply...(Nov 14):

"The planning permit will often contain a condition about water
supply for fire fighting. The dam may be enough. In any case, I
always like to put CFA outlets (to connect to fire hoses) on all
water tanks just in case. They add a little cost to a tank (about
$100) but it's a good idea. 5000 gallon tanks aren't that big.
About 4-4.5m in diameter. I'd probably suggest a couple of them.
You will have plenty of roof area to catch water. We used to have
two 5000 gallon tanks plus the dam for some items and never had
any problems. Larger, site built tanks are another option, but
they require a larger flat spot. I'm not sure about the relative cost.

The septic system will need a separate permit where the type of
system will be nominated. Standard septic systems are the cheapest.
There are other options as well which I described in the Design
Brief. Approved systems are shown on the EPA website.
The shire may also require a Land Capability Assessment which is
a report analysing the site, and recommending a system design. If
you need one, the same person can often do a soil test for the
building at the same time. I often use Provincial Soil Services
in Ballarat for that kind of thing"


We looked at the site Eric recommended and freaked out at how many options there were. So then Dave spoke to Eric to get more clarification. This is from a Nov 17 email written to update Dad about Eric's comments, as relayed to me by Dave:

"Eric too thinks it will probably make the most sense to plan
for the one big septic system now to suit the needs of the new house
as well as the old house. This is particularly the case if we want
to go with an alternative to the standard septic system which is what
we are strongly leaning towards. The two broad approaches are either
to shove it all in a tank, or something (that the name escapes me but
it's something to do with aeration) where you have an area that it
goes to and is treated underground naturally... there are lots of
different variants on second type as it's still relatively new-ish.
At the website he lists above there's a link to see all the EPA
approved systems.

The reason we are interested in the second alternative is that they
are much better in terms of recycling water and we need all the water
we can get, frankly, for the garden. They are a bit more expensive
but he did a project recently where he was surprised how little
extra cost it was... basically, it cost only $1000 more to get the
alternative system than a traditional septic tank. $1000 is not a
lot to pay for extra water over the course of years. Our situation
might be different but I would like to consider an alternative
approach not just assume we go with the standard septic tank of old.

For instance, these are some pictures of lovely garden beds looking
all lush & well watered even though the surrounding areas are very
dry. This is all due to the subsurface irrigation from the effluent
& it improves the soil too. You can't grow food on it but it'd be
great for lawn or a 'bog garden' or whatever.
(nb: both pictures come from the pdf "guidelines for aerated onsite wastewater treatment available here)

Have you heard of these systems before? Do you think the plumber
in Maryborough knows about them? I'd assume he must as they're not
brand new but I don't really know how it works... perhaps for some
you have to work directly with the system manufacturer to get one of
their approved people to install it. I don't want to create hassle
for you but as part of the purpose is to have a lovely garden there,
this seems like a very good option to explore & I'm strongly in
favour of anything that is better for the environment. "


On Nov 17th Dad replied, with regards to the question of the water tank placement:
"We can overcome this problem by placing a platform over the
5000gal tank to support a 300 gallon tank like I put at Dawn's place.
The large tank will add to the stability in the high winds of a tower
high enough to give pressure to the secondfloor of the new structure.
For the old house, we can get by with putting the 5000 gal there and
connecting it for the firefighting requirement, as it is sufficiently
high for a singlestorey building, even with the tank of the hotwater
service in the roofspace. So if you are planning to not have any
visible tanks on the hill, so be it. You could place a low profile
tank "over" the hill for a short way and still achieve a substantial
elevation advantage for water above the new house, yet not have a
tower to look at".

... and then my reply, agreeing..
"That sounds like a good arrangement. I can imagine ultimately
perhaps using the platform as a bit of a lookout... and maybe if we
extended it out in front to create a sort of verandah effect underneath
the 5000gal tank it would be useful as a makeshift barn. Anyway, we
don't need to decide on any of that now, the beauty of the plan is
that we put just the 5000gal one there for now as that on it's own is
enough for the old house".

tree watering system

The system that we set up when we were there takes way too long, so Dad is altering it so you can water more trees at once.

Email from Mum - 6th Nov

He said on the phone last night that we will be able to water 6 trees at
once, and that to do that will take 15-20 mins depending on where they
are. Gums and fruit, that is. So, about 90 divided by 6 = 15, so
aboutr 4 hrs if we count it as 15 min.

Olive trees - two at once, so 15 lots of watering to be done there -
about the same time as the rest.

Personally, I still think the bucket by each tree, with a little hole in
it, with if you like a hose from it going to the roots down the plastic
pipes, would be much quicker. Tow that blue bucket along on the
trailer, one drive, one tip a bucket full into the stationary bucket,
and it would all be done in an hour or two. Ie each tree would have
it's own mini tank which we would fill each time we went. However, I
agree it is more physical work, and Dad was trying to minimize that
especially for Jess and Tony. I might even cart a bucket of water from
the dam for some of the nearer trees, pur it directly down the plastic
pipes and cut down a couple of those 15-20 minute bursts. I would
probably do the fruit trees that way, and some of the higher up gums -
they will be the ones which will take the 20 minutes as higher on the
hill. I think, anyway. Dave has a point about the friction slowing it
down the further it goes.

Another email from Mum - 7th Nov

Dad is still at Amherst, and will spend tonight and tomorrow there. the watering system he first tried was still no good so each tree now will have (ie will have, after tomorrow) it's own tap and hose. It has cost you more I am afraid Lyn and there is hire of the trailer for another day. that is the shed which needed the hired trailer.

It rained off and on with cold wind all the time he has been there till about 3pm today - and Sat and Sun it rained non-stop apparently. Dad is wet and cold and has a sore throat etc which is only to be expected. He was ringing from Talbot - I said go stay in the motel - but he said the house is fine and he is not cold up there. He will wake when it is light in the morning and put in the last 60 taps, fix the wire that has come up from ground on some trees as it will let in rabbits and the foot high hares he saw today, tie down the tanks so they do not blow away when empty, and put another 9 blue tubs of water into the olive tree tank (880 gal only instead of 1000 like the others - it is shorter so easier to hand fill by bucket)- he does three per trailer load, backs the trailer right in dam so it makes it easier to fill. He has the four wheel drive of course up there and it can do it. He had to go into Ballarat today to get the extra pipe and taps for the trees...

Email from Dad - 25th Nov

I feel we will most likely be connecting the dam tank to the lower section sooner than later due to using 500 gal on the first day of watering the lower 100 trees. That job will cost a little, but is a must if rain doesn't replace between waterings. We used only about 150 gal for olives on this first water. So the 800 gal filled with the 4wd truck using 4 tubs a haul and taking 2 hours is a very practical solution for this summer. But the connection will need to be made in 11/2" pipe like the other tanks connection to the irrigation system (the white pipe). That is a pressure pipe, and will he able to hold pressure from a pump when that linkup is made later. But we must wait and see how much the cloud bank can contribute to the summer stock. We began our watering with completely full tanks, and have put texta marks on the tank to create a history for reference later.

Dad has fixed the dam

Update, Dad has now fixed the dam

Email from Mum - 20th August 2004

Dad came back last night - he was too late Thurs night to hire that night so he had to go back to Ballarat in the morning for the back hoe or whatever it was he hired. They taught him how to use it and the guy teaching him did all the dams in the region, so told him how to fix it - how Dad was going to do it was not the right way. And he got it done. Said at one stage he sort of forgot how to drive the thing and pushed the wrong lever and it sort of went up - he did an action like a rearing horse - and as he was balanced on the top of the dam at the time, it could have been nasty. So he said he told himself he had better concentrate! The man said it should have a trench dug too (I think for the overflow), but no time for that, so he said put stonesand rocks on top., which Dad will do next trip - which will probably be when you folk are there. So that is something to be added - make like a rampart on top of the dam.

He said last night he will put the old firestove in my garage as he has taken the pot bellied stove up to Amherst for you and it will do the heating - and we can cook over the open fire which has a big BBQ hot plate over it. Fair enough I suppose. In all this we are talking open air, with eventually a roof like a carport and a side fenced in to break the wind. It might even get the two adjacent sides half fenced in to make an alcove. It would be horrible to be there and have no windbreak even if there was a roof! All of this will be removed of course when you get other things done - it will not be needed.

adding more tanks at Amherst

Dad had already installed one tank at Amherst, but after we talked about the need to have lots of water for irrigation he decided to add some more.

Email from Dad - 2nd August 2004

I took the opportunity while free at work last night to surf the net briefly about the water tanks issue. I found several sites for you to visit and will include all sites websites at the end of this letter.

I looked at the big picture, as well as my availabilities shortterm and made some decisions. I must update you first on the fact I uncovered while surfing the net last night: namely that I was misled, or misremembered the size of the tank I installed. I remember I asked the shop person when I bought the first tank how big it was in gallons, and he told me 2000. This was wrong, as I discovered the 4500litre tanks equate to only 1000 gal. So at present you have only 1000 gal at Amherst. I looked at the 2000 gal tank and at least 2-3 men would be needed to move such a tank. Also delivery is free to some areas for tanks 9000 l and over, so site preparations and permanent positions must first be established. All the tanks can be buried to as least 1/2 their height, but that is another matter. Without good digging equipment, such an approach is not possible.

I decided we needed to get catchment started immediately, and using the 1000 gal tanks was the most practical, as I can manage them by myself. The cost of the tanks where I buy them is cheaper than any of the sites I looked-at last night, and for that I am pleased. Also, the connecting pipe and fittings are ready to hand for designing the plumbing. The cost of the 1000 gal tank is $765 and the 2000 gal is $1250. The difference between the 1530 and 1250 is $280, and this figure would easily be eatten up by costs of earthmoving equipment, and the need for more men and equipment to arrange the larger tank's installation. Moving it to it's proper future site would entail the same costs and bother, though getting help later would be easier of course. But getting water into tanks for the October deadline means one thing: haste. So I bought two 1000 gal tanks, and will go tonight to Amherst to deliver the first, and go on Friday to deliver the second and setup the two on site. I must return tonight for a commitment in the morning, but will have more time later this week. I hope you are okay with the decision I have made. Love Dad
The supplier of the tanks where I bought these is ARI Plastank www.ariplastank.com.au
The site to visit for underground tanks is resapps@yahoo.com
I compared with the Bushman tanks for the tanks I have bought, and the site of access for me is local so I favored this outlet.

My reply - 2nd August 2004

Thank you *so* much for doing this. I'm very happy with the decision you made. The small 1000 gallon tanks are really convenient, they will serve our purposes in the short term and also be very useful for the longer term. As you suggested, in the long term we will probably do best to have a huge tank installed semi-buried near the top of the hill and then pump water from the smaller collecting tanks up to it as
they get full. Don't forget, you must let me pay you for your time / hassle in doing
this, just buy things on my card to cover it.

Email from Dad - 3rd August 2004

I think you may consider the advantage of having two 2000 gal tanks delivered as delivery is free, I think. You could have Dennis excavate a flat area where one of the ponds or lawns is to be put on the downhill side of the house. These tanks can be moved later when you wish, but would give a place for overflow from the three uphill tanks and would still be place to develop the other areas of garden in the future. I believe with proper approach the 3000 gal you have now will see your trees through the summer without any trouble. Once they have wintered once, and when there is no drought, they will be untouchable except by roos and sheep, which you will be protecting against. The way it was raining last night you will have no trouble filling these two additional tanks.

If you opt for not getting anymore tanks for now well and good, as I was only putting out the idea for consideration. Any tanks bigger than 2000 gal should not be placed until the eventual placement can be done once and for all time.
I'm off today to take the other tank and install. I will take you up on the offer of some financial assistance because I spent all my money for the fortnight getting the dvd player and television so no money for food except bankcard. But I will allow just 1 1/2 days for payment of time if you don't mind as I feel bad about you needing to pay for all the little bit and pieces of my time. I am always happy to help when I can fit-in time. I don't get-on too well when exhausted because I am getting older and don't bounce back so quickly. I have caught a small cold and am hoping it doesn't get bigger.

I took Bonz for a walk at dusk and had another close look at the dam wall.
The damage is old, and the entire wall is breached. The dam will fill to
only 1/2 capacity, or perhaps a little more. Equipment will need to be used
as the breach must have the portion of wall above removed, and consolidation
of materials done from the base of the breach upwards. Tell me if we need
to get this fixed urgently, or use equipment there for soil preparation
later. I could contact Dennis and get him to look at it to give you an idea
of costs befrore proceeding. If we wait to October and hire a backhoe for
everything that may be better. The water level is a long way from the site
of the breach, and you aren't needing the water from the dam much right
now.

I got "hellooooed" by the neighbor, and took 15 min to talk to Charlie,
Tex's wife. They have lost a lot of geese and chicken and turkeys, and 20
lambs to foxes already.They are also going to build on the 20 acres adjoining you at the front. They gave that paddock to their daughter Donna. So you will have another
young neighbor. That's all the news for now. Love Dad

My reply - 3rd August 2004

Hi Dad, thanks again for arranging the tanks. I think you should
allow at least 2 days payment though because given you're making 2
trips, that's 10 hours + of time already. For now I think we will
stick with just the tanks we have as, as you say, that should give us
enough water to feed the trees. When we come back and Dave sees it,
we will work out what to do next. Thanks again and hope you had a
good time up there even though it was brief.

I agree there's no rush in repairing the dam but Dave suggested it
would be good to get a quote from Dennis, just so that we know the
extent of repairs needed and can plan for it.