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This past week has seen a shortage of water in my aljibe which I am trying to work with.  Talking with a friend in SIMAPA I found out the the water from the city to the aljibe's in my area (??) is now shut off every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.  He also said that our water trucks are in Guadalajara helping with their water crisis.  Why?, I asked--they gave us the trucks.  I am assuming this is also happening in other areas.  Keep an eye on your aljibe.

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There are MANY colonias in greater Guad that have been totally without water  via normal  delivery in their pipes for over a month!. 😣 Trucks are been delivering water hither and yon in an effort alleviate this horrendous situation. So planning for "off" days while still regularly having "on" days, although inconvenient, is nothing compared to what those people are suffering. 

As to the cause of this crisis, in part it's due to one of the dams supplying Guad water being at  seventeen % of normal capacity, and falling fast.

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Less than average rains here for the last couple of years.  More ag use in the area.  No rain since Oct. and we normally get a few showers even in the dry season.  Well levels lakeside are dropping as ground water drops.  Do what you can to save a little.  Keep pools covered during the day to slow evaporation.  Use buckets or pitchers to collect water while waiting for hot water to arrive at sinks and showers.  Use that to water plants.  Limit run time on decorative fountains.  We all know these things...just try to help a little.  The city of Guadalajara will be pulling more water from Lake Chapala and combined with the really warm weather just starting you'll notice the lake level will begin to drop pretty quickly.  The lake loses more water to evaporation than gets used by humans so don't blame the city dwellers alone for the drop in level.  Alan

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According to this chart, and looking at the last 10 years. 2020 appears about average.

Rainfall History (inches)

   2021  2020  2019  2018  2017  2016  2015  2014  2013  2012  2011
                       
 Total  0.02
 (as of 3/28/21)
 31.26  26.68  32.24  30.29  40.03  41.13  31.15  28.52  29.33  32.84
                       
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3 minutes ago, Floradude said:

According to this chart, and looking at the last 10 years. 2020 appears about average.

Rainfall History (inches)

   2021  2020  2019  2018  2017  2016  2015  2014  2013  2012  2011
                       
 Total  0.02
 (as of 3/28/21)
 31.26  26.68  32.24  30.29  40.03  41.13  31.15  28.52  29.33  32.84
                       

Gasp!! Reality will  nullify the whining and force posters to work hard and find something else to whine about.-SNORK!

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Simapa will only allow the Guadalajara purifying facility to draw as much water from the Lake as they have already approved. The facility would like to greatly increase that amount, building a second line to the City. That was turned down and they were told to prioritize fixing the old leaking line.

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4 hours ago, barrbower said:

Do what you can to save a little. 

I would add to your list of good suggestions for people to stop flushing the toilet every time they have a pee. It's a ridiculous waste of water to use a gallon or two to flush away a little bit of urine, several times a day.

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57 minutes ago, mudgirl said:

I would add to your list of good suggestions for people to stop flushing the toilet every time they have a pee. It's a ridiculous waste of water to use a gallon or two to flush away a little bit of urine, several times a day.

If it's yellow let it mellow,if it's brown flush it down.

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This happens every year and depending on your local wells you may or may not have problems.  They have drilled new wells and found water at the expectant level so we are not in bad shape as a whole for now.  Local and long term conditions are another story and time will tell.  I do expect the everyday water in SAT to stop and become every other day as they try to stretch the water til the rain starts and refill the ground. Lots of plant watering this time of year in SAT  which doesn't help.  I put a very large storage tank (10,000 L) to avoid these problems as I have gardens, small fish pond and a lawn to deal with.  Last year we had to call the trucks in but SAT has drilled a new well and added a new pump so maybe things will go smoother this year.  Time will tell.

 

 

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Drilling new wells will not help the overall level of water available in the ground but rather deplete it.  Using drought tolerant plants, not watering the grass as much (the rainy season will bring it back), not flushing the toilet every time you pee and being conservative and mindful of water usage will all help to reduce the load we are putting on the aquifer.  Another really good idea would be to make any new house built to have two septic tanks: one for black water as usual and one for grey water with a pump to use this water for garden use.  A little more expensive but such a good use of grey water.

 

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37 minutes ago, Yo1 said:

Another really good idea would be to make any new house built to have two septic tanks: one for black water as usual and one for grey water with a pump to use this water for garden use.  A little more expensive but such a good use of grey water.

Am in the process of designing a house in SJC which will have city water and sewer, but supplemented with such systems on a small scale, should city facilities fail, plus a 10k lt water tank also connected to rooftop rain capture.  Carefully positioned solar panels designed in, rather than pasted on.

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On 3/28/2021 at 12:48 PM, mudgirl said:

I would add to your list of good suggestions for people to stop flushing the toilet every time they have a pee. It's a ridiculous waste of water to use a gallon or two to flush away a little bit of urine, several times a day.

Yes, even the dual flush toilets can significantly reduce water use.

Edited by Whipstock
Poor spelling
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One of the biggest water wastes is  running  the shower until hot water arrives. In our previous San Antonio rental this could be 3 or more minutes of water down the drain. 

The solution is to install a recirculation pump which I intalled in my house, now hot water is almost instant. Unfortunately these pumps run $300 or more and don't seem to be available in Mexico. ( I imported mine )

 

 

 

 

 

 

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16 minutes ago, Mitch said:

ea93105, this re circulation pump sounds like a great idea. Did you have the pump retrofitted to your existing house or built during new construction. Any additional info about this pump and install process would be greatly appreciated.

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I had a recirculating pump with a built in timer NOB. As it was put in after the initial build, there was no return line. They used the cold water line. Only down side is your cold water is warm while the pump runs. I would highly recommend a timer, due to heat loss in the pipes and the power to run the pump. If you get up at the same time daily, have it set for 15 minutes before you normally shower.

 

It was similar to this:

 

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Watts-Hot-Water-Recirculating-System-with-Built-In-Timer-0955800/100426993

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51 minutes ago, ea93105 said:

One of the biggest water wastes is  running  the shower until hot water arrives. In our previous San Antonio rental this could be 3 or more minutes of water down the drain. 

The solution is to install a recirculation pump which I installed in my house, now hot water is almost instant. Unfortunately these pumps run $300 or more and don't seem to be available in Mexico. ( I imported mine )

 

 

 

 

 

 

 While a great solution it doesn't have to be this fancy. I keep a bucket in the shower and fill it and use it to water plants or flush toilets.

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4 hours ago, Yo1 said:

Drilling new wells will not help the overall level of water available in the ground but rather deplete it.  Using drought tolerant plants, not watering the grass as much (the rainy season will bring it back), not flushing the toilet every time you pee and being conservative and mindful of water usage will all help to reduce the load we are putting on the aquifer.  Another really good idea would be to make any new house built to have two septic tanks: one for black water as usual and one for grey water with a pump to use this water for garden use.  A little more expensive but such a good use of grey water.

 

The overall level of water is what it use to be underground.  If you drill a well and you find water at the same level as long term wells  the problem does not exist for now.  I agree it will in the future but we are in pretty good shape for the time being.  Go talk to the water people they know.  Yes all this could and will change.

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2 minutes ago, lcscats said:

It doesn't have to be this fancy. I keep a bucket in the shower and fill it and use it to water plants or flush toilets.

Good on you. A shower head which can be narrowed is needed for this to work, otherwise most will still go down the drain

 

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These articles don't recommend you not clean yourself.  But you can save water by using washcloths or sponges on key areas of your body every other day, rather than a  daily shower.  And much of the science out there is that it is healthier for your skin and hair not to shower daily. 

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/showering-daily-is-it-necessary-2019062617193

https://www.verywellhealth.com/how-often-should-you-shower-4154629

https://www.bustle.com/articles/114177-6-reasons-you-should-stop-showering-every-day-according-to-science

https://www.lifehack.org/355349/science-suggests-you-should-abandon-the-habit-showering-every-day

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49 minutes ago, Mitch said:

ea93105, this re circulation pump sounds like a great idea. Did you have the pump retrofitted to your existing house or built during new construction. Any additional info about this pump and install process would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Its actually a very easy installation, they come with all required fittings. Basically you install the pump at the farthest sink from your hot water supply. You do need an electrical outlet under the sink for it to work. They come with timers so that its not running all the time, but I just switch mine on when I want to take a shower, takes a couple of minutes to pump the hot water around. Then you have hot water at all faucets almost immediately. 

My solar hot water tank from GoSolar these days has enough hot water that I could leave the pump "on" 24/7 although it actually only runs until the hot water reaches the pump.

This is the pump I bought: Although it was closer to $300 a year ago ( What inflation ?! )

AquaMotion Stainless Steel Hot Water Recirculation System with Check Valve for 250 ft. Pipe System and Under Sink Installation-AMH3K-7 - The Home Depot

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I also collect the cool water for my plants. Since I have a shower head that also has a diverter to a hand held section, it makes it very easy to fill the bucket. I also bought a six foot stainless steel flexible hose to attach to that hand held section. I don't waste a drop.

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