Understanding water...

It has been a productive week.  We finalized the opening of our Spanish bank account - a process that seemed much more involved than purchasing a home. Apparently we passed the money-laundering test, and yesterday Maria Jose at the Banco Popular was ready with a stack of papers for us to sign.  We should receive our debit card next week.

We purchased a new car.  While we were still in the U.S. Sam did lots of research on 4x4s.  We need something that will get us up the mountain in all types of weather, but will ride comfortably on the highway when we take road trips.  The vehicle must be narrow enough to maneuver through the tight streets of Europe, while also having space for additional passengers and their luggage in case we have guests coming to stay.  We didn't want to spend a fortune or get something that would scream "rich American."  

In the end the Jeep Renegade Trailhawk seemed to meet every requirement on our list (except perhaps the "rich American" announcement).  We were fortunate to rent a Renegade in Madrid, giving us a two-week trial of the vehicle.  Last night we returned the rental to the Granada airport and we picked up our new car. Everyone at the dealership was excited for us and there were hugs and kisses shared.  I was ridiculously happy with the "free" keychain and external battery with the dealers logo on it, plus they gave us floor mats at no extra charge. 

But this blog entry is about water.  

Here at the finca we have two water sources.  A spring provides water for the house.  Clear, cold, delicious water bubbles out of the ground a little further up the mountain and apparently has never run dry. A system of pipes and hoses brings the spring water to a tank at the top of our property and from there gravity delivers it gushing from our faucets.

The second water source provides for irrigation.  This water comes from a stream in a barranco (ravine) 2 km uphill from our property.  The barranco water is ample and gravity allows for the effective use of sprinklers.  This method of irrigation originated with the Berbers who inhabited these hills in the 8th century.  All over the mountains and hillsides there are channels or acequia, that bring water from the high Sierras to the fincas.  For more than 1000 years residents of the Alpujarras have depended on this method of delivering water for the survival of crops and animals.

The water from "our" barranco flows through pipes and hoses, similar to the delivery of our spring water.  We have a large holding pond, called an alberca, that is kept full in case the barranco runs dry, but apparently this is rarely an issue.  

Just before we moved in, the previous owners patiently walked us through the entire water system.  Sam and I followed along on the 2km walk up to the source of the irrigation water.  We learned how to keep the pipe clear so that the water would flow, and we learned how to troubleshoot in case there was a time when we were not receiving any water. We were both suffering from jet lag, but we understood most of the information and, in addition, we were left with a thorough handbook, written by the previous owner, that also explained much of what we would need to know.  

Last Saturday night Sam went out to water the garden and the hose sputtered, then stopped. We tried turning various valves this way and that, but we were not getting any water. We had only been here for 24 hours and found this a bit unsettling.  We had water in the house, so the spring water was fine, but the irrigation water had ceased to flow.  The previous owners kindly responded to our panicked text reminding us to trace the problem back to the source and we went to sleep with plans to get up early and walk to the barranco.

Sunday morning we headed up the hill to the barranco.  I decided to wait for Sam while he bushwhacked his way through the weeds and brambles to the pool where our piping system begins.

Sam heading up the hill to the barranco

While I waited, I took photos of the view.

After awhile Sam returned triumphant!  The pipe had come up out of the water and, as a result, no water was flowing to us.  He took time to dig out the small pool with his hands, then pushed the pipe under the water, and placed a rock on top of the pipe to keep it from re-surfacing any time soon.  It must have gotten dislodged by a thirsty animal.

We walked back home feeling satisfied and relieved.  As soon as we got back we tested the water and were happy to have it gushing freely again.

We will undoubtedly learn many new things about living off the grid and I'm sure that at times we will panic, and question what we were thinking by taking this on, but it was encouraging to easily resolve the first issue we faced.