Years ago we decided to move to the mountains of Western North Carolina. We chose this area to get away from city life and to become as self-sufficient as possible– get out of debt, grow much of our own food, and become a part of our community. The simpler life.
Our very first priority when choosing a property was to have our own water supply. If you don’t have control over your own dependable source of potable water you aren’t really independent.
Our property backs up to pristine woodlands in the Pisgah national forest. Our water comes from a gravity fed spring system. The spring head is located up the mountain about a quarter mile and the water passes through the run of pipe and empties into a 700 gallon “spring box” or storage tank. It’s located about 100 yards behind our house and maybe 100 feet higher than we are. So we have a good “head” that provides excellent water pressure to the house.
This spring head was created by our neighbor’s grandfather when he owned the land many years ago.
A problem is that the county health department found coliform in the spring water.
It’s difficult to protect a spring head from very small creatures without some extensive excavation and construction techniques that will perfectly seal it. Our spring head is covered with rocks that will keep out larger animals, but the little critters like salamanders can get in. We saw one little guy in the water once when we were doing routine maintenance, cleaning out some red clay silting.
The Health Department report cited “total coliform” in the water and not “fecal” coliform. Total coliform is from the environment– and fecal coliform from animals isn’t likely– therefore the water can be OK to drink as it won’t normally cause illness. Here’s an explanation from the University of Washington. As my neighbor said, he’s been drinking it since he was a kid and has never gotten sick. The Health Department agent said people’s bodies can normally get used to it and never suffer any illness.
Just the same, we use a water filtration system.
We’ve used the Berkey water filtration system for about 12 years now. We started using it in our town in coastal North Carolina, where the municipal water system had some dangerous chemicals in it. The black filters in the Berkey system remove 99.9999999% of bacteria and 99.999% of viruses. And over 200 contaminants and chemicals are removed.
What wonderful peace of mind knowing that your water supply is clean, healthy and dependable!
Our spring water has iron in it, and occasionally some red clay gets into the system– especially after torrential rains. We don’t have a pre-filter system where the water comes into the house, so over time the filters can get a sheen of clay on them, and they have to be cleaned with a scrubby pad. You’ll know it’s time when the water dripping out of the bottoms of the filters slows down. Heavy rains are the main cause of the silting problem.
I also use only Berkey-filtered water to water my microgreens that we eat and which I sell commercially. I rest assured that my customers aren’t exposed to any pathogens or chemicals whatsoever. We have two Berkey systems, one for the house and one for my growing shed where I water plants. The “Crown Berkey” holds six gallons, with up to 8 filters, and the “Big Berkey” holds 2.25 gallons with up to 4 filters.
Black Berkey filters work through gravity (no electrical stuff involved) and run the water through micropores– much like nature purifies water by passing it through layers of rock.
Whether you live in the country, even off grid, or in a town or city, I can unconditionally recommend the Berkey water filtration systems for routine water purification or emergency use. Water is truly the essence of life, and if you don’t have a source of clean, dependable water you are in trouble.
Full disclosure: I’m an affiliate of Berkey Filters. If you link from this site to the Berkey website and decide to buy an item, I will receive a small commission on the purchase price. Thanks!
