South Africa is already on the list of the 30 driest countries in the world, and 2010 has not been a good year for water in South Africa, with drought posing serious challenges in [...]]]> Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) – partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 31 December 2010

South Africa is already on the list of the 30 driest countries in the world, and 2010 has not been a good year for water in South Africa, with drought posing serious challenges in parts of the country.

Tens of thousands of migrants are pouring into Cape Town forcing authorities to rethink the city’s water supply strategy.

Climate forecasts do not bode well for the Western Cape’s water supply. The region is likely to become warmer and drier with reduced water in the rivers.

Pressure is mounting on our potable water supplies, so it’s a good time to implement some water saving measures around the home.

Here are seven great water saving resolutions for the new year:

1. Don’t flush toilets with drinking water.
2. Water gardens with grey water.
3. Harvest rainwater from roofs of homes.
4. Use harvested rainwater throughout the home (not only in the garden).
5. Clarify swimming pool backwash and return it to the pool.
6. Only flush the least amount of water to clear toilet pans.
7. Wash cars with rainwater.

For a free quote to fulfil your water saving resolutions for 2011 visit our contact page.

Water Rhapsody is the leader in Grey Water and Rainwater Harvesting systems.

Only a minute share of water in our planet (2.5%) is potable, and most is locked up as ice while only one per cent is available in lakes, rivers and underground water tables for [...]]]> Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) – partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 27 December 2010

Only a minute share of water in our planet (2.5%) is potable, and most is locked up as ice while only one per cent is available in lakes, rivers and underground water tables for human consumption.

Garden Rhapsody. A grey water solution by Water Rhapsody.

In South Africa our average rainfall is only about half that of the global average – 450mm per year against the world average of 860mm per year. South Africa is a water stressed country yet little emphasis is placed on grey water as a solution. Instead, we look erringly at energy expensive and non-sustainable fixes; such as desalination.

Grey water systems recycle water from baths, basins showers and washing machines to irrigate lawns and gardens. Water from these outlets is re-routed to a small underground chamber from where it is automatically pumped silently to the garden for irrigation.

Providing that laundry washing powder is changed to one that is phosphate free, grey water is perfectly safe for gardens including fynbos gardens. Fabric softeners and JIK should also be avoided.

Generally washing powders are by weight one-third phosphates. These phosphates are sent along with our waste-water to our waste-water treatment plants, and ultimately end up in our rivers and estuaries.

In 1997 there was a catastrophic poisoning of the Wildevoelvlei, one of the Noordhoek Valley Wetlands. A highly toxic blue-green bloom formed on the surface of the lakes as a result of wastewater overflowing from water treatment works. The treated and untreated water had a high concentration of phosphates – a major component of washing powder. SANParks eventually turned the lake anoxic, thereby killing an entire generation of organisms.

Regretfully this situation has once again surfaced and Wildevoelvlei is currently a no-go area due to the toxicity of the blue-green algae. For this reason alone it makes sense to use a phosphate free washing powder.

For more information contact your local Water Rhapsody franchisee or visit our Grey Water page.

for use throughout the home (bath, shower, laundry, toilets) and/or garden irrigation, pool, car-wash, etc

for garden irrigation or toilet flushing

A few months ago we Capetonians experienced electricity cuts that left selected households in the dark whenever Eskom decided it was time to be switched off.

Well, how would we react to water cuts? Notwithstanding the [...]]]> Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) - partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems
02 November 2009

A few months ago we Capetonians experienced electricity cuts that left selected households in the dark whenever Eskom decided it was time to be switched off.

Well, how would we react to water cuts? Notwithstanding the occasional lack of water supply due to broken water pipes – which leave us like fish out of water – the reality is that with a future probability of dwindling water supplies and looming shortages, there is a real risk that we could find ourselves with Eskom-style cuts to our water supply.

Think this sounds a little far fetched? Not so. Take a look at what’s been happening in Pasadena, USA.  According to the Pasadena Municipal Code, property owners have to select one day of the week in which they may use sprinklers to irrigate; non-compliance carries a fine of up to $1000. And in Mumbai, residents staged a street protest due to continued water cuts. Their fresh drinking water is delivered by privately owned tankers, for which the price has rocketed 350%.

Think of how you would react to extended periods of no water supply. Hopefully not like the residents of a Colorado town who, according to recent reports, resorted to fighting over water. In a more serious incident a few years ago, several rioting villagers died in Shandong China when officials cut off their irrigation water.

If this all seems a little apocalyptic, consider what all the hype is about.  Is this bleak future inevitable; or can we accept ownership and take mitigating action?  It comes down to viewing water today – as the precious commodity it will become tomorrow.  Use it wisely; use it more than once; save it for a non-rainy day.

Grey water re-use and rainwater harvesting will soon become basic household necessities if we are to ensure anything close to the quantity of water availability that we are used to.

So don’t wait for the drought and the inevitable water restrictions that will leave your garden a thirsty brown.

Grey water (or gray water) is neither fresh nor polluted water and must be distinguished from black water, a term used for dirty water, i.e. sewage water and water with high concentrations of toxic chemicals or [...]]]> Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) - partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems
31 October 2009

Grey water (or gray water) is neither fresh nor polluted water and must be distinguished from black water, a term used for dirty water, i.e. sewage water and water with high concentrations of toxic chemicals or wastewater containing significant food residues.

Typically a grey water system recycles water from baths, basins, showers and washing machines to irrigate lawns and gardens.

In the traditional sense grey water is fed through a filter to a pump chamber where the water is automatically released via a drive pipe to a garden sprinkler system. An average household in South Africa could expect their water bill to reduce by around 35%.

Garden irrigation is, however, not the only use for grey water; it can also be recycled to toilet cisterns. Diverting grey water to toilet cisterns can increase savings significantly for homes without gardens, or flats.

Garden Rhapsody by Water Rhapsody Conservation Systems