The bacteriological test results are back with no traces of anything nasty in the water. It all goes through an ultraviolet steriliser of course. The Environment Agency has been very helpful in providing figures and advice from its own records on groundwater chemistry which might have once been affected by the landfill up by the B4009. It also has extensive historical records on Brian Orpwood’s nearby well in Cat Lane. The outcome is “no problems”. So, we now have our own borehole water to the house.
I know we’re biased, but it really does taste better, although of course we don’t enjoy the fluoride (and other stuff perhaps administered by “the authorities”). There’s a plot for a novel!
The only sign of the borehole is a manhole cover in the field. In the barn, there’s a holding tank, a transfer pump, two filters, a small pressure tank, the steriliser and some electronics.
What have we achieved? Well (sorry!), it’s nice to have unlimited pure water, no usage restrictions, a metered water bill reduced dramatically from £250 pa, no need to conserve rain water and so on. We can pension off the water butts (unless we want soft water), and let it all go into the soakaways again. And of course, Margaret and I can enjoy our home-grown vegetables in the next drought!
We have water available in commercial quantities, so we should start bottling it. Raising sheep on a small-holding or anywhere else has become a big challenge because of FMD and Bluetongue. Stock rearing was never a route to riches, but now we have a modest alternative. My grand-daughter has already copyrighted the family enterprise as “the divine water company” and is busy doing the label artwork!
Was it economically worthwhile? Like all the “green initiatives” promoted by government (and blithely advised by HIPS inspectors) the capital cost will take a lifetime to recoup and doesn’t make sense. There are no grants to help. So we justify it on the quality of life and doing something for the planet. When I get to the next stage of using the water via a heat pump for domestic heating, the return on investment will make a lot more sense. But first I have to keep heat in with a lobby area at the back door (presently we warm up Ewelme every time we open it!).
The project was also a unique opportunity to pursue some serious research into dowsing. My views are unchanged – there is a repeatable phenomenon. So, I’m now working on a book for “The Ewelme Press” over the next year. The mechanism may remain inexplicable, but that doesn’t prevent it from being applied. While we’re at it, we might run dowsing courses in Ewelme – there’s such a variety of proven sources for people to test their skills against.
Neil Blake