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DAY 8: Irrigation and Water Cleansing (PDC 2010 with Bill Mollison and Geoff Lawton)

Cattails
Cattails by David Hoffman

Water Duties

Water has to perform 3 main duties before it runs off to the sea. If rain water lands (of flows) straight into the river and is carried out to the sea, it hasn’t performed its duties, and thus it hasn’t been most beneficial to the Earth and its inhabitants.

  1. Pro-create life (human included)
  2. Aquaculture
  3. Energy (deliver and carry out)

It is to our benefit and benefit of the system to re-cycle water was mush as possible before allowing it to leave the system.

House sewage water can be completely cleaned up and become suitable for putting back into house by using a long trench filled with gravel and Typha reeds. The roots of the reeds have little trap doors that catch any organisms that pass next to them and digest them. Typhas can even take out E. coli bacteria to safe levels.

Bill Mollison Quotes (loosely related to water)

“Conservation of water that falls is terribly important.”
“Miracle = Rigorously Applied Common Sense (RACS)”
“Evil = Rigorously Applied Stupidity (RAS)”
“If you have to hand-pump the water up for a high-pressure shower, it will make you think twice about taking multiple showers.”
“Maori water systems are as good as they get.” [referring to taro and prawn combination]
“I never tell them I am there. I never tell them what I am doing.” [about local counsel regulations]

Tribute to Our Values…Really?

tribute to our values

In conclusion, I have to share another interesting find from this morning’s walk. I make an effort to take a different route every day, so I can observe new scenes and get new impressions.