As with most systems, one of most important components in the system is the storage mechanism. Water is no exception to this rule, and water storage is often overlooked as being “easy” to deal with. There are some factors that you have to remember when dealing with your water.

First, you must have sufficient supply to meet your needs beyond just day-to-day uses. Because water is so essential, you should prepare for times of drought. What this means is storing enough water for long periods of usage. Rains are unpredictable, so your system should be designed to sustain you until the next rain. Well pumps can go out, so you need enough storage to make it until you get a new pump.

How much water do you need? This is a very important question that most of us never ask. You need enough to drink, your garden, livestock, and cleaning, including dishes, yourself and clothing. Evaluate what you use and find ways to use less. You never need water for human waste. This is an unnecessary and unsanitary waste of water. Please refer to our information on waste >>

Once you review your usage of water, you will find that you can get away with very minimal needs and still have plenty of water to go around. A small farm can operate on less than 10,000 gallons of water a year. Be creative and conservative with water.

The second important thing to remember is that the quality of your water really determines how valuable it really is. If you have a million gallons of bad water, you can’t support much. So, your storage must be clean and your supply should be filtered and maintained properly to ensure that your water will be usable when you need to use it. Your storage tank should be sealed against light to prevent algae and other phototropic organisms from growing in it. They are the base of the food chain. Without them, the food chain will be weak.

Suitable containers can be made from plastic, fiberglass, dirt, or even concrete. Filter the water before it runs into the tank and after it leaves it. Aeration can help with keeping the bacteria from growing in the water as well. Run a small aquarium-type air pump through your tank to ensure a good supply of oxygen to the water.

Ponds
Dirt ponds are the cheapest method of storing large amounts of water. They should be situated so that the least volume of earth is moved for the greatest volume of water stored. These locations are usually in narrow valleys where the slope changes from very steep to shallow. Place ponds where they give you the greatest amount of elevated water. This is the most valuable water on the property because it does not need a pump to deliver it downhill. Ponds should be made to overflow laterally, not vertically. So, a chain of ponds are all very similar in elevation. This spreads the water out over the land, instead of pouring it downhill, which creates erosion and storage issues. A dam should be at least one meter taller than the spillway or overflow.

Plastic and ferro-cement
Plastic and ferro-cement tanks are very useful for domestic water storage. For storage over 2,000 gallons, ferro-cement will be the best value, whereas smaller sizes are better with plastic. The nice thing about ferro-cement is that you can make a very large tank for the same price as a relatively small plastic tank. In our area, a 5,000 gallon ferro-cement tank costs us roughly what a 1,500 gallon plastic tank will cost.

Ferro-cement can last a very long time, if it is built well to begin with. The thing to remember with concrete and water is that concrete naturally seeps water. So, it is better to apply it in continuous layers, instead of pouring it all at once. You are also not tied with the shapes that are mass-produced, so you can make it fit with the style of your property. Many people have made ferro-cement tanks that look like giant boulders.

As with any building, a water storage container needs a good foundation that must be level and soft. Avoiding sharp objects on the pad like rocks, and they can wear holes in your tank over time. Compact the site as much as possible first, and always plan for drainage, in case of floods or tank failure. Never place a tank above a house, as this is asking for a disaster.