One thing you can do is see if there are any survivalist from this forum in your area. They may have ideas and imformation on that area that someone living in a different area wouldn't have. Perhaps you could work out a deal with someone that has access to a property with water. If not then give bartering a try. Take the knowledge /skills of what you can do and try trading in for the gsrden and water rights you need or for the vegetables themselves. Basically I'll soon be facing what your facing now. I'll be moving to Salome , Az towards the end of next week. Just guessing...about 120 miles from Phoenix. I've already made contact with a couple of guys through a friend and will meet with them shortly after I move there. If you like we can keep in touch and maybe help one another out with preping for what ever lays ahead.

 

Water saving solutions.

Where do I find water for my garden in my backyard in bad times, or would that be a good time to hit the road and look for a place to set up a camp near a water supply. Would rather try to stay at my house as long as possible.

If the electricity is still on your your house air conditioning works, capture the condensate and store in a barrel for later use on your garden. I do this in Atlanta and get between 5 and 7 gallons of clean water drawn from the atmosphere every day between mid-May and September.

Buy a rain barrel(s) and capture rain water via your gutter and downspouts when it does rain and store for later use.

If you use a dehumidifier in your house, put that water in a storage barrel instead of throwing it away.

Use several inches of mulch on your veggie and herb beds to reduce evaporation, flowers and all plants really.

If you REALLy want to be a water saving warrior, keep buckets in your shower and catch some of the water going down the drain to water you garden.

If I had the money, I would invest in a whole-house gray water recycling system and underground cisterns. But the above methods are inexpensive.

If TSHTF and there is no electricity or central municipal water, I really don't know what you would do in Phoenix, especially in the summer. I guess bugging out to a more moderate climate would be the best bet so you can grow a food garden, even in summer.

 

Grid down for much of any length of time Phoenix is going to depopulate quickly.
You better look at a map though.
I don't know where you live in Phoenix but you are not an hour and a half drive away from a lake much of anywhere there.
You do know there is a river and a canal running through the town just South of Indian School Rd. right?
I used to live near 83rd Ave and Osborn and could walk to year 'round water in less than an hour.

 

I would never live in south portion of AZ because of the lack of water. The central and northern higher elevation areas have a decent amount of annual snow melt, rain, and water supplies. Time to move somewhere else if you believe we are heading for a SHTF of some sort. Some central higher elevation mountainous areas in AZ post over 30in annually in precipitation.
The areas of land surrounded by the red, to me are worthless because there is no water. If you live in Nevada you are most likely screwed water wise unless you live in and around lake tahoe.

 

Rain gutters feeding to a underground cistern and a handpump. With monsoon season starting it wont take long to fill up.In ancient times every house had a cistern to store the rains blessing. And dont forget all those swimming pools in your neighborhood.

 

Nullzero,
Bear in mind that map denotes surface water.
There is actually plenty of water in that area and a good amount is surface water but not like in other states.
The Southwest was survivable 200 years ago and is now, just not on as large a scale as is reflected by the current population.

 

everyone out where i am moving gets water from wells. solar panel next to the pump means the grid can go down and you can still water your plants. that beats a windmill which will only flow occasionally.

read an article about a guy in new mexico that worked for the LA water district. when he retired, he built his house with a metal roof and collected half of the water that came off his roof in underground storage, it was enough for him to live off. he planned to harvest the other half for gardening.

the article mentioned something about a silver nitrate bar or something like that to keep the water algae free, i believe.

 

Just to be on the safe side, do your research. Someone posted this link in another thread. When I read the article, Water Rights and Rain, I wanted to scream.

Know your rights, or . . . 'sorry that water belongs to someone else.'

you best be gray. :

 

It is crucial then to take advantage of canning and storing food from a garden in these desert areas now while you have the water. You may be in a position where you either have to plant a much smaller garden which will not sustain you on its own, or not have one altogether. If you have set aside food storage while water is accessible and you have the ability to grow, it will sure make a difference later on.

 

Sorry fellas but Pheonix is in the 4 inch per year zone. Nature never intended it to support any sizable population. this is why AZ was the last of the lower 48 to reach statehood, No water=no population.

Even if you had a year of preps canned and stored you would be packing them in the truck and hauling them to water within a week of grid shutdown. AZ after TEOTWAWKI will support the same number of people it did 125 years ago, not the artificially supported numbers of today, even if they have preps.

 

No electricity = No water
Canals are the only thing I could think of to get water. I am not sure if they would still be flowing with no electricity.
Make sure you get something to purify water with, that way you can drink water from the nasty canals, rivers and lakes or swimming pools.
I plan to bug out if the grid goes down for more than a day or two on foot if necessary.
The air is too dry to collect condensation.
Monsoon season is sporadic and unpredictable.
Phoenix and the surrounding metro area would not be the place to be without electricity in the summer.
Phoenix would become uninhabitable if the grid goes down.

 

All of that canal water is pumped by electric pumps. And all that water is controlled by the Federal guberment at some level. Scary- HEH!!

 

I wouldn't go entirely by that map. I live in Southern AZ next to the mountains. In a SHTF situation that is where I would be. There is sooo much food and water up there it's crazy. Last time I hiked up the mountains I walked along a nice stream and saw lots of deer and wild turkeys. There are many edible plants. I have eaten the wild acorns and found them tasty. I feel a heck of a lot safer in the hills than I would in Phoenix. I know of water sources in four different mountain ranges. All are different. There are even artisians in certain areas. How do you think the native Americans lived here for thousands of years? I know of many pecan and pistacio groves. The low lands are full of dove, quail, rabbit, javalina. In the late summer and fall we have huge numbers of large grasshoppers that are keen eating folks if cooked through. But don't tell anyone. I like having it to myself...: The percieved dangers in Arizona are real. The summer heat in all but the highest mountains can knock you down in 12-24 hours without water. What spiders/gila monsters we have are potent but not IMO considered overly deadly. Even our scorpions are mild compared to other countries. The only real danger I look out for are the thirteen species of rattlers that call Arizona home. Of these the two most common are the western diamondback and the mohave. While a bite from any of them spells trouble, the mohave can really ruin your day.