Water is key to our lives and livelihoods, and good quality fresh water will become an increasingly precious resource in the near future. At Little City Farm we are developing ways to conserve, capture and reuse water. Here are some examples:
Harvesting rainwater from our house roof and all outbuildings (barn, greenhouse, patio roof) collected through a series rain barrels, which we use to water our gardens.
Developing a grey water recycling system with a series of wetland ponds comprised of sand/gravel filters and native wetland plants. These ponds filter main floor sink and bath water, and laundry water (when we are not potty training our young one) for reuse in the gardens.
Using low-flush toilets and low-flow showerheads in our bathrooms. Low-flush toilets can reduce water consumption by 20% compared to conventional toilets. Low-flow showerheads use 8-9 litres of water per minute (compared to 20+ litres of water per minute with conventional showerheads), thus reducing our water consumption by more than 50%.
We are very pleased to be one of 25 residents in the Waterloo Region to receive a 1150-litre rainwater harvesting tank as part of a rainwater collection research project.
Front lawn replaced with water-wise natural landscaping, native plants & grasses.
Only natural biodegradeable cleaning products are used here so as to reduce harmful chemicals washing down the drain.
