INSTALLING A GREY WATER MARSH

When Nick arrived at Sky Hacienda as a volunteer he wanted to spearhead an eco project. Our grey water was being recycled in principal but not being purified, so we asked him if he would like to build a grey water marsh.   A couple of hours research on the internet gave him a clear picture of what to do.

Nick assembles the pipes leading from the Roundhouse.

Nick and Geronimo construct a filtering system to remove grease and debris from the kitchen waste water.

A pit is dug to channel the grey water and lined with plastic sheeting.  Brick baffles are installed to slow down the water flow as it passes through the gravel.

As the marsh is on a slope a dirt wall is created to keep the water moving in the right direction.

A type of small marsh bamboo is planted in the gravel to assist in the purification process.  We can also harvest this bamboo to make windbreakers and fencing.

Barrels are installed to hold the water and we run electricity to the site so that the water can be pumped out.

A view of the pipe leading from the Roundhouse, feeding grey water through the filter and into the marsh.  It then continues its journey to the barrels.

Soon the marsh bamboo is thriving with the constant flow of water through its roots.

We quickly begin to see the results of this purification process as we are able to dedicate the water to the 200+ trees we have planted to form a windbreak against the prevailing wind.

This is such a simple inexpensive process that is particularly useful for harvesting water in countries with long dry seasons.  At the same time, when water is becoming the world's most precious commodity, it is something that everyone with a piece of land should be considering.

PLANTING GRASS

Previously we had rejected the idea of planting grass in the Roundhouse garden.  The amount of water needed to keep it green during the dry season was prohibitive. But our gardening expert Rosando told us about a local grass called tepi that used surface roots to form a dense carpet that would hold in moisture.  Carmelo told us that his wife's grandmother had plenty on her farm in a neighbouring village.  So it was simply a matter of harvesting the turf, dividing it into smaller root clumps and then re-planting it in our garden.  We decided to plant the grass on the steepest slope to prevent soil erosion - in times of heavy rain this area could become a muddy riverlet.

Carmelo showed our volunteer Nick how to separate out the grassy roots.

Nick enjoyed planting the grass - said it was a meditation.

More volunteers joined in while Carmelo prepared the ground for planting.

Soon we had the beginnings of a lawn.

Carmelo patiently prepared each section, removing stones, coarse grass and adding manure.

Regular heavy rain in January helped the tepi roots to spread quickly and our soil erosion problem was soon in the past.  We still had a long way to go to prepare and plant such a large area, but we were so happy to have such a large expanse of green.

FINISHING WORK

With the bones of the Roundhouse done, our workers returned from their Christmas break to focus on the construction of the house where our caretaker, Carmelo, and his family would live.

This left Ed with time to do finishing work. 

He installed the door to the living room

A perfect fit!

Ed gave the laminated plywood banister a final coat of varnish.

He installed the curtain rods to the living room windows.

THE PORCH

Our volunteer Sky helped Ed start the porch structure. 

We used eucalyptus beams that were embedded into our thick adobe walls.

Ed installed the steel panels that would provide shade and keep the rain off.

Here is a view looking up from the top of the steps along the roof.

Ed applied a couple of coats of white paint to reflect the intense sun off the steel roof.

The walls were lime rendered and lime washed.   Our desire to create a simple porch area with clean lines had been achieved.   And we had our front door installed at last.