I love all those oasis manuals. Once again Art Ludwig surprises us with a manual full of info reagarding water catchment and storage. Although I'm working in this field for more than 10 years, I always find something new and interesting in Oasis manuals and ther are a fundamental part of my permaculture-libary

This book can help you for how to planning the different water systems in rural and urban areas, the best is how to make ferrocement water tanks.

I Built a 10,000 Gal tank straight out of this book for US$ 1,500.
It looks good & it doesn't leak.
What more can you ask for ?

This book is well written and complete. I feel that after reading this book I can safely capture rainwater and I know all the details to think about when designing our system, specific reasons to place pipes etc in specific places ... an excellent detailed referrence book and enjoyable read; I read the entire book and enjoyed it. If you are seriously considering to have a rainwater catchment system this is a must read.

Wow! This book has a ton of usefull, usable information packed into such a thin booklet! No wasted space, which makes me feel that I've not wasted my money on this book! If you are serious about helping to save this planet, or even just surviving the next tragedy that may befall upon us: Get. This. Book.
Can I just say again: WOW!

What a shame that so much water is wasted...especially when our roofs and gutters simply make a mess rather than being utilized to store rainwater. This book will help even the urban dweller to get in on using precious water for immediate use. For the country folks, it will help in better planning for future use. Highly recommended.

Too much social and environmental commentary which I have noticed is common for books on this subject. I just want information on how to best design and build a water collection system. The benefits are obvious to anyone who would buy this book so why use half the book to convince the reader?

I found this book very informative. Lots of easy to understand information. It has affected the way I store drinking water, even in small amounts simply to bring on a bike ride or to work.
Well written. A wealth of information without having to wade through a bunch of extranious fluff.

I agree with the positive comments in the earlier reviews. This is a great book covering all common forms of water storage vehicles, with plenty of technical details so you really can undertake these projects yourself. The section on ferrocement water tanks is very comprehensive; the plans for building the beautiful urn-shaped tank shown on the cover are worth the price of the book! Our area averages about 18 inches of rainfall each year; the important word in that statement is "averages." We have had as little as 10" one year, only to be inundated with 40" the next. Our 8500 gallons of water storage captures most of our roof runoff and allows us to water our gardens, greenhouses, and fruit trees with rainwater instead of high-mineral ground water during dry times (which is most of the time). Rainwater is better for the plants and storing it keeps our well from being stressed by watering. I also highly recommend Art Ludwig's books about greywater; we incorporated some of his design concepts when we built our house. To me, greywater reuse is the flip side of the water-catchment coin, allowing us to make the best use of this most precious resource.

The book gives you lots of pertinent information about the pros and cons of water storage for any type of usage. Information is written in easy to understand terminology with lots of references and diagrams. Makes you aware of possible adverse situations and how to compensate for them. Great book for the novice as well as the seasoned individual.

Thoughtful and comprehensive this book will guide you through water storage problems with the simplest and most elegant solutions. It will also guide you away from a multitude of mistakes.

Most of us, in the United States at least, grew up where the supply of water was so simple. Your house was automatically connected to the city water mains when it was built and for a few dollars a month all the water you needed was supplied at the turn of a tap.

My first home made water supply was out in the Louisiana swamps where average rainfall was more than fifty inches a year. It was a simple matter to build a catch system that caught the rain off the roof. But it was full of crud. A simple little device to catch the first of the rain in a bucket and when the bucket was full it pulled the outlet over to the big cistern and I had a water supply.

Later I moved to the desert and water got a lot more tricky, with rainfall of eight inches a year the rules are different. The biggest projects were a series of about five thousand small enclosed catch basins which were burried in every little dry creek bed to catch what little water there was for birds to drink. Yes, it may sound silly, but that's what the people with the money wanted.

As for this book, I only wish that I had known what contained in it when I started. Everything he says sounds so simple, makes so much sense that I wonder why I had to spend so much time making mistakes that taught me these same things.

If you're going to go play in the water business, either for yourself, or even for a water department read this book first.

This is a friendly book that reads like a conversation with a very knowledgeable expert. The language is simple without being condescending, so a layperson can read it without becoming confused or overwhelmed. It is packed with information, explaining all aspects of choosing and implementing the design that best meets your needs. It is an essential read for anyone who needs to store water (which is all of us). If you buy one book on water storage, this should be it!

This is a friendly book that reads like a conversation with a very knowledgeable expert. The language is simple without being condescending, so a layperson can read it without becoming confused or overwhelmed. It is packed with information, explaining all aspects of choosing and implementing the design that best meets your needs. It is an essential read for anyone who needs to store water (which is all of us). If you buy one book on water storage, this should be it!