Water Storage: Tanks, Cisterns, Aquifers, and Ponds for Domestic Supply, Fire and Emergency Use--Includes How to Make Ferrocement Water Tanks

Very informative book. It gives real examples of various water tanks and their successes and failures.But most useful is the very detailed appendix on building a ferrocement water tank. It give everything you need to build your own.

I haven't read but a handful of other reviews, so I don't know if any others feel the same way. It could just be me but, I find much of Art's written explanations difficult to understand. I often times find myself referencing between several books of similar genre at the same time, and Ludwigs' are consistently more difficult for me to grasp. It's not that he uses uncommon words. It's not that the subject he writes about is complex. His writing is what I'd consider simple but, it's something in how he explains things that just isn't intuitive for my brain to understand. I feel the same way about some of his illustrations too.I feel badly for saying that. Though I've never met the guy, it's clear from what he does write about, and watching his vids, that he is intelligent and a wealth of info. His statement of purpose is clear and in complete alignment of my own. I love his to-the-point no thrills style of books. There's a ton of excellent info in each one that I do get upon first reading. Much of it though I'm left reading over and over to make sure I get it...things that shouldn't be difficult to explain, things that shouldn't be difficult to understand.Again. It may just be me. Yet again, I can't think of any other author who gives me the same frustrations. With an altered writing style and some careful editing, I believe all of Art's books could be next level. His knowledge and experience is no doubt there.I'd give all of his books 5 stars on potential but only a 2.5-3 on execution. Diamonds in the rough, I'd still recommend all of them though.

I live in a small town just north of Santa Barbara (the authors' address) and purchased this and the greywater book to assist my fellow citizens in preparing for drought--which is here big time. I am also an author and write books to help people with DIY projects in general, such as solar power and owner built housing (see williamseavey.com).Although I designed my own roof rainwater catchment and storage system for a few hundred dollars, the Water Storage book has given me even more ideas and I've been telling many others about it. I've given a couple demos of my own system and wished I'd had this book to pass around, which I'll remedy next time. It is chockfull of great advice and the illustrations are wonderful.I only wish that more people would consider the possibilities of rainwater catchment and storage, as it represents a truly viable solution to the possibility of potable and nonpotable water running out (or very low) in communities faced with the ravages of climate change and disruption, such as we have here in California. And having put a system together, you will never look at (precious) water in the same way again, and certainly not waste it.Bill Seavey

I am planning to install a very large stand-alone water storage tank soon. This book subtitled Water Storage: tanks, cisterns, aquifers, and ponds for domestic supply and so on provide you and I the readers what would normally be considered a fairly small book is phenomenally dense with usable information found in books 4 and five times as thick. For me, this book was so informative, that I have decided to build pretty much exactly as I've seen in this book. And this is what helps differentiate this from others: you actually see the author and assistance actually building the tanks as described. This is not one of those I don't do it but I do say it: this is the real deal and I gave this five out of five stars. So not only does this book address tanks and cisterns and so on, it is very educational on water table where to put a drain from a cesspool and other extremely valuable pieces of information necessary to ensure that the water that you and your family will be drinking will be safe. In closing, this book will be extremely helpful and is very clear and how to do it, so seriously consider using this as not only a reference, but an extremely valuable how-to book.

It appears difficult to find an English language book covering Water Storage. Don't think that I could find this book in the UK hence I bought it from the USA. I haven't yet read the book from cover to cover in detail yet, but from what I have looked at so far, I have found the contents very interesting and useful and it is obvious to me that the Author has lots of experience in this subject and knows what he is writing about. It is a book that I have bought for my reference library here in Bulgaria as each year, I get a little closer to self sufficiency and will no doubt utilise some of the ideas and information contained in this book. I bought it in conjunction with the Water Pumping Windmill Book that complements this book ideally for my intended projects.

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.

This is an amazing book!It arrived within 2 days, which is rapid for super saver delivery. I was a bit concerned when I opened the box and found a book of volume akin to a slender magazine inside. Soon as I opened it, I was fascinated though.This book does what books should do - it conveys knowledge. And it does it in the most economical way. So instead of filling pages with waffle (info for the sake of bulking out the book) or gratuitous pictures (images for the same purpose), it contains just the information you need and only the pictures or diagrams that will add value to the text. The paper is not top quality, but considering the general grain of the book that is actually wonderful consistency of concept. But if all publications came in this format, pulping trees for it would be a worthy cause.The contents are presented much like a scientific report, but spliced with anecdotes that sparks interest. You might go as far as to liken Art Ludwig to a lecturer/teacher you have fond memories of, for he can bring the subject to life by recalling his own experiences.I am fond of technical books, so this was right up my street. I will be setting up a farm in the future on undeveloped land, and I intend to design and build the entire water supply (less open sources) with this at hand.Pertinent points:1. Even thought this book comes from the USA and with an American author, all units of measurement are supplied in metric (less a little bit at the back on ferrocement construction). This is good form for an author who should have a international audience.2. Comprehensive! Water storage is laid out front to back - from conceptualisation all the way through to long term projections on the performance of what you have created.3. Relevant. Corporate greed, the commodification of water and government puppetry fosters a highly precarious dependence on this very precious resource. Art Ludwig presents tested and realistic countermeasures.If you prefer helping yourself to waiting for someone else to come do it for you, this book is for you.

I bought this after buying the companion book (The New Create an Oasis with Greywater: Choosing, Building, and Using Greywater Systems, Includes Branched Drains) by the same author.These books do compliment each other though I found this one (Water Storage: Tanks, Cisterns, Aquifers, and Ponds) less useful for my situation. Most of the projects are too large scale for me. However, anyone contemplating an eco-friendly self-build or upgraded water storage system will find this book full of ideas and practical information.

I thought this book was in colour but it was not still there is a lot of information

Useful and clear instructions on how to make your own water storage.

I love this book!