We have a ton of projects happening at the same time and that’s been a filming dilemma. In my head I’d like to film a project from start to finish and have a video just on that, but its looking like an unreachable goal. Instead we’ll be doing regular update videos! Yeehaw!

While there are many factors involved in property selection, the most important is a reliable water source. For without water, all life will surely perish. The property we settles upon in the Santa Cruz Mountains is in an area well known for unreliable water sources. In addition to geology defined by tectonic action, sea uplift over the millennium has resulted in a number of salt water aquifers. In a proactive step we only considered properties with existing wells. In order to prove the well was in good order we enlisted the services of a well surveyor to inspect the condition of the well casing and screening. After receiving a clean inspection from Newman Well Surveyors we placed an offer on just over eight acres of heavily forested land near the Forest of Nisene Marks. Despite adequate annual rainfall historically, the unique geology of the Santa Cruz Mountains can make actual well productivity uncertain. For this reason it is advisable to verify well production rates prior to signing an official sales agreement. That was not possible in our case but we were fortunate enough to have a well capable of delivering a constant 18 gallons per minute.

Proper testing and treatment (if required) is an essential safeguard against disease for humans and livestock alive. The area our property is located in is known to have low levels of coliform bacteria in most wells. Only frequent testing will tell you if this is a pervasive concern so it is essential for peace of mind. At present the only known methods of treatment for this type of water problem are chlorination and ozonation.

Chlorination

Chlorination is the least expensive and perhaps the least desirable method of disinfection although it required no power to accomplish. The process involves pumping the well water into an above-ground cistern into which chlorine tablets (similar to swimming pool chlorination tablets) are placed. The water is allowed to remain in the cistern until used. This method has the distinct disadvantage of rendering the treated water odoriferous and foul tasting. Some believe chlorine is dangerous, but if that concerns you then you should know that chlorine comes out of solution rapidly so simply letting the water stand in an an open container in your kitchen will solve

Ozonation

The latest method of potable water disinfection is by treating water with soluble ozone. The process is straightforward. An ozone generator (either a corona discharge device or a florescent UV source) is placed next to an above-ground cistern, much like the method above, and plumbed into the tank via ozone resistant hoses. Inside the tank the hose is connected to a nylon diffuser allowing the ozonated air to bubble up through the water. Unlike chlorine there is no odor or taste imparted. Although more expensive initially, ozonation can enjoy lower operating costs if you power the equipment with a photo-voltaic array. Power consumption runs between 80 and 160 watts and if your water demands at night are low you can operate the ozone system during daylight hours only.