Since 2013 Ranson Community Gardens has been using the run-off from the Civic Center roof as our primary watering source. The water is collected using a diverter into the 6 large tanks. The tanks are linked together to form a single, virtual pool of water. The water is then gravity fed to both the high tunnel and the resident garden beds.
Gravity gets the water across the street. But, it isn’t strong enough to produce the pressure we need to actually water anything.
So, we turn to the sun for help. There are two solar panels in front of the high tunnel. These panels charge two large deep-cycle batteries that run the 12-volt pumps necessary to get the water pressure high enough to water the beds.
When filled, the tanks hold enough water to meet the Gardens needs for 7-10 days of watering. During dry spells, the Gardens has access to the City of Ranon’s public water as backup.
The system was originally installed by Roger Ethier, an engineer with extensive experience in building and installing solar pumping solutions. Roger was one of the founding members of Ranson Community Gardens.