How to Design a Water System for Homesteaders

Use a gravity feed if it is available, since this is the easiest, most affordable, and most reliable and efficient form of water system. Situate your house at the base of a hill that has a river or stream running down it. Create a small reservoir at the top of the rise that is fed from the river or stream and run a pipe from there to your home. Gravity will do the rest.

Bury a cistern if you live in an area that lacks reliable water. In desert areas, you can situate the cistern to receive runoff that occurs during and after rains. Alternatively, you can have the cistern filled commercially by a water company that will come with a water truck and fill it for a fee.

Irrigate crops on a homestead using a gravity-fed system if you are lucky enough to have the landscape for it. You can also irrigate by pumping water from a river or lake using a generator.

Dig or drill a well to supply water for the household, animals and crops. If you live in an area with reliable wind, borrow a page from homesteaders of yesteryear and install a windmill-driven pump to your well to bring the water to the surface.