06-03-2006, 01:59 PM
My own experience with catchment water is limited to three months in one house in Nanawale; I've had city water everywhere else I've ever lived.
The main objection usually raised against catchment is the risk of running out of water, but in that regard catchment seems to be safe enough in rainy Puna. Other than that, the main factor determining its effect on your life is the quality of plumbing installed in the system and the house in question. This is true of city water also, to some extent, but there the basic system is installed by the city, not you, and is less in your control.
Given a choice between the two, with every other factor supposedly equal, I would probably prefer city water - but every other factor is never really equal. You will rarely have a choice between catchment and city water in the same house, and in selecting a home other issues may be more important to you than the water supply source - location or size of the property, quality of schools, convenience to employment, etc. I would not actively seek a home with catchment water, but I would not rule one out for that reason either.
Howard
The main objection usually raised against catchment is the risk of running out of water, but in that regard catchment seems to be safe enough in rainy Puna. Other than that, the main factor determining its effect on your life is the quality of plumbing installed in the system and the house in question. This is true of city water also, to some extent, but there the basic system is installed by the city, not you, and is less in your control.
Given a choice between the two, with every other factor supposedly equal, I would probably prefer city water - but every other factor is never really equal. You will rarely have a choice between catchment and city water in the same house, and in selecting a home other issues may be more important to you than the water supply source - location or size of the property, quality of schools, convenience to employment, etc. I would not actively seek a home with catchment water, but I would not rule one out for that reason either.
Howard