The cost of water in Australia is a figure that is expected to rise as water becomes scarcer. Australia has the third highest water consumption rate in the world and it is agriculture (67%) and households (9%) that account for 76% of all water use. As the driest inhabited continent, it is easy to see that water is already a precious commodity and it’s becoming more precious all the time as the drought conditions, global environmental changes, population growth, and natural weather conditions reduce the available water supplies.

In Australia, The National Water Commission reported in its 2007 “National Performance Report for Urban Water Utilities” that the average water and sewer bill for a household supplied by a major water utility was $582. For those using water supplied from a non major water utility, it jumps to $722. Bear in mind that an average means there are both higher and lower actual bills.

Decreasing Water Supplies Not Equal to Decreasing Property Value

Having laid the informational groundwork, the next logical step is to consider the value of a water collection system that captures rainwater that can be used to water the lawn and gardens. Water is an increasingly scarce resource and all predictions are that at some future point there will not be enough water to adequately supply the country’s population. Some predictions say that time will be within the next twenty years. That means anything that can be done now to reduce water usage has actual monetary value.

Australian homeowners will soon need to compensate for the water shortage by taking conservation steps such as installing rainwater tanks. Maintaining a home involves a number of activities requiring water and as the statistics show, watering the lawns and gardens is a major use of water. But before you even get to the watering, there is a significant investment made in the installation of the landscaping.

The point is that if you don’t have a rainwater tank installed now, there is a good chance you will want one installed soon. Installing a hidden tank will reduce your dependence on utility water, but it will also increase the value of the property for a number of reasons.

* Increased water supply can be used to maintain expensive landscaping and plantings
* Annual water expense is reduced
* Consistent property watering prevents damage to house foundations that can result from dry shifting or cracking ground
* Prevents property damage that can result from torrential rains common in Australia

In other words, a hidden rainwater tank already installed on the property adds to the property value. The cost of the tank and installation alone will increase property value, but the property value rises more when considering the additional advantages the rainwater collection system offers a homeowner.

It is quite possible that at some future point, rainwater tanks will be the only allowed source of water for lawn and garden watering. When buying or selling an Australian home, those that are already set up for this recycling water will be the most valuable.

The money you put into your yard and gardens is as much of an investment as the money used to purchase the house you live in. B when you live in a country like Australia, there is a complication when it comes to protecting your outdoor investment. There is a water shortage that is getting worse all the time.

As consumers, we have a duty to care about the preservation of natural resources. As homeowners, we need to maintain our property to protect the investment of time and money. Blending the two goals together may seem difficult, but products such as the underground water tank addresses both issues at the same time.

Your Water Carbon Footprint

The impact you have on natural resources is called your carbon footprint. Your carbon footprint looks at your habits which involve the use of natural resources and measures how efficiently you use those resources. In Australia, we have to address the water carbon footprint, because water is a dwindling natural resource.

The hot and dry climate which typifies Australia is getting worse because of drought conditions. Maintaining your lawn and garden investment must be balanced against your water carbon footprint. The question becomes one of how to keep your outdoor area healthy while minimizing water consumption.

The answer to the question can be found in underground concrete water storage tanks. You can bury the tank so you maintain the aesthetics of your property and then hook the tank to a gutter and downspout system on your house. When one of the periodic torrential rains occur, the water is collected from the roof runoff in the tank where it remains stored for later use.

When your lawn or garden needs watering, you can then use a pump which directs the water to a sprinkler or irrigation system. You reduce your water carbon footprint by using untreated natural rainwater while also keeping your lawn and garden investment safe.

Multiple Approaches

You can lower your water carbon footprint by approaching the problem of water conservation from multiple directions. First, you should install an underground rainwater tank for water collection. But you should also develop a low water usage lawn and garden arrangement. A water efficient landscape will help you insure you have enough collected water to protect your investment in your outdoor plantings.

The days of availability of unlimited water are over. Every Australian has an obligation as a concerned citizen and a member of the human race to do everything possible to conserve water. You get the benefit of insuring there is enough drinking water available while also keeping your investment of time and money in your yard and gardens safe.

In some ways the drought creates a double problem. Humans need water to survive, and population growth is placing unprecedented demands on main supplies. But it is also important that people continue to plant yards and plantings which contribute to the normal environmental cycles of weather plus reduce fire hazards.

Irrigating the yard or even small farms has become a real challenge in our country. The current drought began in 2002, but Australia has a normally dry climate anyway. Australia is getting hotter and drier all the time. In 1904, famed writer Dorothea Mackellar wrote, “I love a sunburnt country, a land of sweeping plains.” Unfortunately, many parts of Australia are way past “sunburnt”.

The Eco-Friendly Solution

The use of underground water tanks for irrigation of yards, gardens and small crop plantings is growing rapidly. The tanks are hidden underground and collect rainwater from the roofs of houses or outbuildings. Whenever it rains, you know the tank is filling with water that will be available to keep plantings healthy.

The underground water tank has a pump that is installed for the dispersion of the water. You can connect a drip or irrigation system to the tank. When it’s time to water, you can simply start your watering system with the knowledge you have complete control of the watering process. The tank are eco-friendly, because they collect a dwindling resource…..water.

The hidden tanks are manufactured in sizes ranging from 20,000 to 200,000 litres. The availability of the different sizes enables you to match your outdoor watering needs to the size of tank you have installed. Since the tanks are relatively large, they are ideal for irrigation systems that include most yard sizes and many small farm needs.

In Australia, many homes are situated in rural areas in the middle of some of the worst drought sections of the country. The concrete water tanks provide an affordable and easy solution to a difficult problem. The tanks can enable rural or urban homes to maintain gardens and small crops used to keep household food expenses to a minimum.

Keeping the Environment “Green”

The underground rainwater tanks can be used for irrigation in a number of ways. The tanks can be connected to a drip system, a sprinkler system or even to keep watering ponds at adequate levels. The creative use of underground water storage tanks is encouraged in the face of the severe drought conditions.

When you install a hidden rainwater collection tank, you are keeping your environment green both literally and figuratively speaking. You are able to maintain healthy lawns and plants, while also conserving a scarce natural resource.