If you grew up in...
Illustration
If you grew up in a city, you probably have had no experience with a cistern. This was the case with Chuck and Jean. When they moved from city to country, the small farm they rented had a cistern up on the ridge behind their house, and a pump that had to be turned on weekly to fill the reservoir beneath the basement floor. These two, who had never had to do more than turn on a faucet to get water, often forgot to turn on the pump, leaving them without water on Monday morning! But it wasn't until the summer the rains failed that they began to understand the full meaning of cistern versus well water.
June went by with only an inch of rain. July was hot and completely dry, and when the garden began to dry off, they naturally hooked up a hose and watered it. By the middle of August, they were in deep trouble. One day, Jean turned on the faucet, and a stream of ants came out.
Chuck was on the phone immediately to their landlord. But the man laughed, and said, "Your frog probably died. I'll come oven and take a look." Chuck was bewildered, but followed the owner to the top of the ridge, where they slid back the lid of the cistern and looked in.
"Yep," the man said. "It's getting too dry in here. You're goin' to have problems with ants when it gets like this." Chuck looked closer. The sight sickened him. There was a sludge in the bottom of the concrete tank, and algae grew oven the surface of the waten. It hummed with insects, and he could see that the water was very low. He had learned the hard way that cisterns can easily be used dry, and that in hot, dry weather, you have to husband the water carefully. Fortunately for them, the landlord was willing to drill for water, and it was only about 200 feet down to clear, safe, dependable water. It was a lesson hand to forget.
--Herrmann
June went by with only an inch of rain. July was hot and completely dry, and when the garden began to dry off, they naturally hooked up a hose and watered it. By the middle of August, they were in deep trouble. One day, Jean turned on the faucet, and a stream of ants came out.
Chuck was on the phone immediately to their landlord. But the man laughed, and said, "Your frog probably died. I'll come oven and take a look." Chuck was bewildered, but followed the owner to the top of the ridge, where they slid back the lid of the cistern and looked in.
"Yep," the man said. "It's getting too dry in here. You're goin' to have problems with ants when it gets like this." Chuck looked closer. The sight sickened him. There was a sludge in the bottom of the concrete tank, and algae grew oven the surface of the waten. It hummed with insects, and he could see that the water was very low. He had learned the hard way that cisterns can easily be used dry, and that in hot, dry weather, you have to husband the water carefully. Fortunately for them, the landlord was willing to drill for water, and it was only about 200 feet down to clear, safe, dependable water. It was a lesson hand to forget.
--Herrmann
