Water is already being priced, restricted, and reframed as “infrastructure,” not a commons. Gardens are always the first thing they tell people to stop watering.
What you want is:
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independence
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low energy
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boring, proven systems
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layered redundancy
Below is a clean, sane water strategy that works whether the system stays reasonable or goes hostile.
1. Drinking water Vs irrigation water (separate them)
This is the biggest mistake people make.
Do NOT try to make all water drinkable.
That’s expensive and unnecessary.
Instead:
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Small volume, high-quality drinking water
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Large volume, simple irrigation water
Two systems. One brain.
2. Rainwater tank → safe human drinking (the right way)
Rainwater can be excellent, but only if treated properly.
Minimum viable drinking-water stack (proven, not fancy)
A. Roof + first-flush diverter
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Keeps bird droppings, dust, ash, air poisons, and acid rains out
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Non-negotiable
B. Sediment filtration (20–5 micron)
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Removes grit, organic debris
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Protects downstream filters
C. Carbon block filter
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Removes chemicals, odours, many toxins
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Essential for human taste and safety
D. UV sterilisation (last stage)
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Kills bacteria, viruses, protozoa
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This is what makes it safe
This is what hospitals, off-grid homes, and research stations actually use.
No vortex magic. No restructuring. Just physics + biology.
If power goes down:
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You still have water
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You can boil as backup
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You can gravity-feed if designed properly
3. Irrigation water: keep it simple and cheap
Plants do not need drinking water.
For irrigation:
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Rain tank + basic sediment filter
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Gravity or low-pressure pump
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Drip irrigation > spray (70% water saving)
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Mulch like your life depends on it (it does)
If councils clamp down:
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Drip + mulch keeps gardens alive on very little water
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Living soil holds more water anyway (you know this) especially when using Earthfood living nitrifying soil microbes, not water-borne as they are the first to die in chemicals, heat, cold, exposure to sun, dry season, fire on the land. Earthfood microbes are the ancient soil microbes and will go deep into the ground. They bring in carbon and nitrogen from the atmosphere and lock it into the soil.
- Earthfood microbes make tiny nano holes in the soil (clay and loamy mediums) which in turn hold condensation. Free water. They unlock the minerals in the soil and make bio-available the nutrients for all plants' roots to grow thick, dense and strong AND deep into the ground. This mean when something happens above the ground like a cool fire - the roots are protected and the plant may grow again.
- Earthfood microbes can survived heat, freezing temps, excess sun, and hold water when deep in the ground. They are from yesteryear before the human corporations decided to profit from big ag cartel product range of destruction.
(Pic by Earthfooder Farmer Brad in Northern Rivers, NSW 3 months after deeply excavated land to this with Earthfood microbes only - nothing else. Available for chat if need).
4. The quiet power move: reuse water
This is where sovereignty really shows up.
Greywater (kitchen/laundry, no toilet)
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Can be legally reused in many places with simple systems
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Goes straight to trees, perennials, food forests
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Not for leafy greens, but for roots, fruit, structure plants
A basic diverter + mulch basin is often enough.
No permits. No subscriptions.
5. Water saving beats water treatment
The cheapest water is the water you don’t lose.
Do this before spending big money:
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Shade soil (trees, vines, cloth)
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Mulch 10–15 cm deep
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Wind breaks
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Sunken beds, not raised
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Swales if you’ve got slope
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Clay pots / olla irrigation for veg
A biologically alive soil can cut irrigation by 30–50%. You already know why.
6. About the “elite water subscription” fear
Let’s keep this grounded.
They don’t need to ban water.
They just:
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raise prices
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restrict usage
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push compliance permits
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criminalise “waste”
Rainwater, greywater, and soil-held water are the quiet loopholes that have always existed. You don’t fight it. You step sideways.
7. What I’d do in your position
If this were my backyard:
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Lock in drinking water system off the rain tank (filters + UV)
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Design irrigation as drip + mulch only
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Separate lines clearly: “drinking” vs “garden”
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Add greywater diversion for trees
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Size tanks for weeks, not days
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Ignore gimmicks and there are a lot of those on the landscape now - so don't be hoodwinked into thinking you need 'other' things when it is simple to manage.
Then stop thinking about water again for 20 years.
Bottom line (plain truth)
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Special gimmicks ≠ drinking water
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Rainwater can be safe if treated properly
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Independence comes from boring systems, not clever ones
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Soil biology is your biggest hidden reservoir
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You’re thinking ahead now, not paranoid, just competent
Simple, boring, proven, and hard to mess up PLAN.
1. SIMPLE WATER SYSTEM (RAIN TANK → DRINKING + GARDEN)
A. Drinking Water Line (small volume, high safety)
From rain tank → house tap (kitchen)
Required stages (in this order):
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First-flush diverter on roof
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Non-negotiable
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Removes bird droppings, ash, dust
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Sediment filter (20 micron → 5 micron)
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Protects everything downstream
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Carbon block filter
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Removes chemicals, odour, taste issues
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UV steriliser (final stage)
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Kills bacteria, viruses, protozoa
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This is what makes rainwater safe to drink
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Notes
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Keep this line separate from garden water
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Low flow, high quality
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If power fails → boil as backup
This is standard off-grid practice worldwide. Nothing exotic.
. Garden / Irrigation Line (large volume, low tech)
From rain tank → garden
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Basic sediment filter only
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No carbon, no UV
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Low-pressure pump or gravity where possible
Delivery
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Drip irrigation only (no sprays)
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Zones by plant type (veg / trees / natives)
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Manual override valve (important)
Plants do not need drinking water. Ever.
C. Optional but smart: Greywater (trees only)
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Simple diverter from laundry / bathroom
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Goes to:
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fruit trees
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ornamentals
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shelter belts
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Never to leafy greens
This dramatically reduces mains or tank demand.
2. BRIEF FOR IRRIGATION SPECIALIST (COPY / PASTE)
You can hand this to them or email it as-is.
Project brief – Backyard irrigation & water efficiency
We are running a rainwater-based system and want a low-tech, water-efficient irrigation design suitable for long-term independence and minimal maintenance.
Key requirements
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Separate systems for:
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human drinking water (already planned)
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garden irrigation
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No spray irrigation
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No “smart” or app-based systems
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No water-conditioning gadgets or vortex devices
Irrigation design goals
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Drip irrigation only
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Zoned by plant type and water needs
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Designed for mulch-covered soil
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Optimised for low water use, not speed or pressure
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Manual valves preferred over automation where practical
Water source
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Rainwater tank
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Sediment filtration only for garden line
Garden priorities
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Food production
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Perennials, trees, and soil health
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System must work under water restrictions
What we value
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Proven systems
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Simplicity
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Reliability
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Ease of repair with standard parts
What we want to avoid
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Oversized pumps
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Over-engineering
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Ongoing subscription products
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Anything dependent on cloud apps or proprietary parts
Please design with long-term resilience and low water use as the priority.
3. IMPORTANT SIGNAL TO WATCH
If the irrigation specialist:
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pushes sprays → NO
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talks about “water restructuring” → NO
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sells smart dashboards → NO
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can’t explain drip flow rates → NO
A good one will talk about:
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litres per hour
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emitter spacing
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mulch
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pressure reduction
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redundancy
4. Quiet advantage you already have
Living soil + mulch = water storage.
Healthy soil holds:
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more moisture
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deeper root access
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cooler temperature
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less evaporation
Your biology does half the work for free.
AND THIS....
This setup:
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protects drinking water
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keeps gardens alive on minimal supply
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works during restrictions
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doesn’t rely on anyone’s permission
It’s calm, competent, and future-proof.