[MassHistPres] Using 19th-century cistern as a source of water for gardening

[Sam Bird]

First of all a cistern is what OSHA refers to as a "confined space"  
and there are very specific precautions for working in confined  
spaces.  Sending a "kid" down there to muck it out is probably not a  
good idea (unless it's your kid and you have several spares....)

I have an old stone cistern at my 1892 farm house in RI. It predates  
the drilled well and was fed off the roof and used for all domestic  
water - now it is garden irrigation. It's on the high side of a bank  
barn and the garden is below the barn so I simply siphon water to the  
garden when I need it. I can set how much water to siphon off by the  
elevation of the hose end in the cistern - when it drains to that  
level air enters the siphon and breaks the vacuum and stops the  
flow.  I've only been in the cistern once about 20 years ago when I  
shoveled out about 2' of muck from the bottom. I pointed a few places  
in the walls and got out with no real desire to go back in anytime soon.

If your cistern is fed from the roof it should have an overflow  
outlet, for safety the cover should be some sort of "manhole" with a  
frame and well fitted cover. Unless your garden is higher than the  
bottom of the cistern a pump shouldn't be necessary - if it is, then  
obviously you'll need a pump which complicates things, perhaps beyond  
reasonable feasibility, although a submersable sump pump might be OK.

I would recommend you pump it out, probe the bottom to estimate the  
amount of muck and old animals etc. in there, then get a good light  
in there to see (without going in - use mirrors or reach in with a  
camera) how solid and sound the walls are and whether they're stone  
or brick. If they just need a little scrubbing, maybe pressure  
washing and some pointing it may be worth doing. If it's caving in or  
bowed out of shape and the joints or brick are deteriorated I'd call  
my local excavator to deliver a load of sand and fill it up since  
it's a safety hazard. The deterioration is usually near the top where  
the frost can act on the masonry. The sand will be possible to dig  
out in the future and so does not harm the structure (this is a  
preservation list serve, after all). While he's there he can give you  
a price for a 1500 gallon septic tank if you still want a cistern.

Sam Bird



On Jan 31, 2010, at 8:09 AM, Ermmwwt at aol.com wrote:

> Can anyone suggest a consultant in evaluating how an old cistern  
> may be cleaned out and turned into a source for water gardening?   
> Our local drainage company suggested they could find a kid to get  
> down into the cistern to clean it out.  I am hoping by "kid" they  
> meant someone who is of working age but small for his age.  Still  
> the horror of standing in 4 feet of water filled with roots and  
> other debris (which has been pretty stagnant for recorded memory)  
> prevents me from agreeing to this suggestion as the first choice.   
> In addition to cleaning we need to find an appropriate pumping  
> mechanism.
>
> Thanks for any suggestions.
>
> Earl Taylor
> Dorchester Historical Society
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