Excerpt of the ‘Ecological Design Dimension’ of Gaia Education’s online course in ‘Design for Sustainability’
Water is used by agriculture, industry and municipalities. Unsustainable extraction from aquifers lowers the groundwater level.
Within a bioregion it is good to assess the water budget — inflows and outflows. Sustainable communities can then ensure they are using water from sustainable sources and conserving wherever possible (see picture Conceptual Water Budget).
Do you know where your water comes from and how it is treated?
After understanding how the water cycle works, a useful next step into designing appropriate water systems is to take a close look at your building’s, community’s or bioregion’s water budget, depending on what scale of design you are focusing. Even if you are only designing a single house in your community, to integrate you design appropriately in its unique place you will have to also pay attention to water flows at the community and regional scale.
Here is a link to more information about creating a water budget. If you want to learn more about watershed management at the regional scale enjoy this excellent […]
Full article: Mapping your water supply
