Werner Neuhoff is the dealer in Mossel Bay and has this answer to the plight of Mossel Bay:

The Garden Route drought is far from over, especially for towns being fed from the Wolwedans dam ( Mossel Bay ). The decision has been taken by the Mossel Bay Municipality to spend in excess of R140m to create a seawater desalination plant, to produce an additional 5 mega litres of water a day. This could have been avoided if the municipality were to encourage citizens to harvest rainwater into water tanks and to re-use greywater for garden irrigation or toilet flushing purposes.

Although none of the business has been encouraged to do so, Shell Truckport (Mosselbay) and Bay Car Spa collectively decided to reuse all greywater from their car wash. Water Rhapsody installed a greywater re-use system, which allows them to harvest all the used car wash water (passed through a filtered system) and then the water will be re-used for toilet flushing purposes.

They will no longer draw fresh municipal water to flush the toilets. By re-using the carwash greywater, they are able to save 1,000,000 litres of water a year!

Ryno Van Zyl from Bay Car Spa said: ‘The drought forced us to look at ways to reduce our water usage, but this is something we should have done a long time ago. We are very proud that we’re able to re-use the water and this is something we’ll continue to do, even when there’s more water available. Our water bill has tripled during the last few months, due to the dam levels being below 25%. We are looking forward to your new bill, as we’ll be using 50% less water than before. After seeing the system in operation, I decided to install a similar Water Rhapsody greywater re-use system at my home.’ (22 June 2010)

Instant panic! Immediate thoughts would turn to your family and home. The taps would open, but nothing would come out, there may be a little water left in your kettle, and some in your geyser. Then you may hear the news that the city will be out of water for a month. More panic, but what to do about it.

First things first. You need water to drink. You race off to the shops, only to find a long queue, patiently and some not so patiently waiting to buy bottled water . You may be among the lucky ones that get in first. I once saw people in a holiday town, fight at the Spar for a limited number of Bread Rolls that were becoming available. Imagine if the scarce resource were water!

Then you would think of a longer term plan. Get a water tank. Quickly! So you could harvest any coming rain off your roof. But think about this. There are only about 140,000 water tanks made each year in South Africa. And we have a population of about 50 million. So there would be a mad scramble for water tanks until they were sold out.

Isn’t it just more sensible to buy a water tank, get it installed by Water Rhapsody with the necessary filters, so that in the unlikely event of your town running dry for what ever reason… you and your family will have some degree of protection? Contact us to get a quote to install a water tank now and protect your most important assets, your family.

Posted by Water Rhapsody

Here’s a set of tips for water tanks and rainwater harvesting written by Alje van Hoorn a Water Rhapsody dealer from Cape Water Solutions

The rainy season is here to stay for then next few months and what a great time it is to conserve water and harvesting rain. You can easily store this rainwater it in what could be your own private water supply (Water tanks). We are receiving many call from people like you that are wanting to make the most of the season and install a water storage tanks. With this in mind you can find a few tips and things to think about when choosing and installing your very own water tank.

Firstly, you must make sure that you have the right space to install your water tanks. Never order your water tanks without deciding the spot where you are going to install your water tank because the size of your water tank and the shape of the water tank will depend very much on the space available.

Secondly, you will have to make sure that your roof is prepared well for water collection. Your Water Rhapsody dealer would be able to advise you on your roof’s suitability. If the roof of your building is not prepared properly, then you will get very little out of your rainwater tank installation.

Use proper methods to keep the debris out of the water tank. If the debris enters the water tank, it will make the water collected less usable for personal purposes. We manufacture self cleaning “Rainrunners” that are designed to keep debris out of your water tanks. With your self cleaning Rainrunner properly installed you will never have to clear out leaves and debris that could hinder your rainwater harvesting system.

You must also remember to install insect proof screens or protection to keep insects and mosquitoes entering into the water tanks. All these protections will help you keep the rain water collected clean and usable even for your personal needs.

Above all make sure that you buy good quality water tanks that will last for years so that you are not spending more money on replacing or repairing your water tanks frequently. All our tanks have a 5 year manufacturers warranty that are able to withstand Cape Town’s weather conditions.

Another point to take into consideration when you choose the right sized water tanks is the anticipated usage and your family size so that you can manage even the driest summers without fearing water scarcity issues.