Reply To: ethics, practical questions

“It’s Worse Than That,- He’s Dead, Jim”

10 inches a year! Now that is dry. I have heard about your snow melt problems. You guys are in for a rough ride, by the looks of it.
What is your through put of potable water through the dwelling/estate? Is recycling on site possible? You can install a simple recycling plant very easily and it is not that expensive (relatively) so you can harvest what is going down the drain. From a permaculture perspective, water moved into the atmosphere via transpiration is a ‘rain seed’ as the bacteria that are carried in the transpired water form a nucleus around which water molecules accumulate and form rain [- Rain forests apparently produce their own rain]. Whilst you are a long way off that in the valley, you are sure on the right side of the equation. Better use the water that way than just lose it down the drain to wherever it ends up. I would be inclined to say that the ethical thing to do WOULD be to use it. If you use it wisely on site, you could help rehydrate the soil profile, which would be a good thing.