On Friday, November 20, 2015 at 10:23:15 AM UTC-8, David E. Ross wrote:
On 11/20/2015 9:00 AM, songbird wrote:
David E. Ross wrote:
...rainwater capture, swales, seeps, soaks, etc...
Where I live, the soils are so mineralized that any ground water
(including captured rain) is unfit for agricultural use, let alone
domestic use. We do have seeps and springs in the area. During a
drought about 30 years ago, however, a study determined that mixing only
one part of ground water with nine parts of California Water Project
water would yield something that would be illegally tainted.

that sounds rather extreme, but i'd assume
the native plants manage.

rainwater capture in barrels and lined ponds would
be another option for such an extreme case. water
right from the roof and other hard surfaces would
avoid most of the problem.


songbird


I recently had my roof's rain gutters cleaned. The gunk removed would
likely be harmless to my garden but would definitely not be potable.
There were several years of ash fallout from brush fires and Italian
cypress needles from my neighbor's trees. I often hear squirrels
running across my roof, so I would not be surprised if the gunk included
squirrel droppings.

After a long period without rain, the public is advised to avoid Pacific
beaches near storm drain outlets. For the same reason, the first rain
on my roof -- even after having my gutters cleaned -- is not very good.

What do you mean "not very good"? Are you saying that the first rains caught
in rain barrels should NOT be saved for irrigating plants? Or?

HB

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