Doing Our Best –

an update on fresh water, the cistern, and the tree...

Apr 30, 2025

Allora… in my last post I mentioned the large, beautiful tree in our yard that was planted too close to the cistern and now *needs* to be cut down because it cannot be moved. Because I believe we always have a choice, I included a note at the end clarifying this *necessity*. Essentially, if we really wanted to save the tree, I said, we could build a new cistern somewhere away from the tree.

I’m always grateful when folks take the time to comment. And, I won’t lie – I was surprised when the first responses were “save the tree, move the cistern.” Was I hoping readers would assuage my guilt? Yes. And then I thought, well… maybe they’re right.

It was a new day (Italy is 8 hours ahead of Mountain Time), filled with new possibilities. I got out of bed and headed to the kitchen. And there I discovered a new problem.

I had no water. None.

After two and a half years, we are finally having our bathroom installed. (more on that later)

I thought perhaps the workers had turned off the water and not turned it back on. No. There is simply no water.

Firstly, you must understand that we are not hooked up to the municipal system. We have a well. When we purchased the house and there was no water, I couldn’t believe it. BUT WE HAVE A WELL! How could there be no water?

I was told there was no pump moving the water from the well into the cistern. Then I was told that the pump in the cistern was not big enough / strong enough to move the water into the house.

How can that be? This house was formerly a guest house, rented for up to 10 people at a time. Surely the pump was large and strong enough then, yes? The response, which is almost hysterical, was, “the pump must have been stolen.” You read that correctly. The hypothesis was that at some point in the last few years when the house was not being used, someone must have come onto the property, made it past the locked fence and the cacti, and stolen the original pump and replaced it with a smaller one.

I kid you not.

Okay. We paid for a new pump. The cistern was cleaned and fresh water was brought in on a truck. Then, we were told, the smaller pump was installed in the well so that water would go from the well into the cistern and we would not have this problem in the future.

When there was no water last November and we paid again for water to be trucked in, we assumed it was because there had been a drought. The water in the well was almost non-existent.

But then yesterday morning, I had no water.

To be clear, I barely use water. It’s just me here now. I use bottled water to brush my teeth. (an unfortunate necessity that we hope to remedy soon) I shower every four or five days. (I know that seems gross, but the weather has not been hot and I can get away with it.) I haven’t even been cooking much so the dishes are sparse. And for cleaning everything else, I use the water from the dehumidifiers, which produce over two buckets a day.

Immediate problem solved: My neighbor, Enzo, called Massimo, who arrived and filled the cistern with 6000 liters of water for 60 euro. The math is this: if I use 200 liters of water a day, each delivery should be enough for a month. 200 liters is essentially 52.8 gallons. The average shower uses 17-20 gallons. More if you’re washing your hair, shaving your legs, etc, unless you’re pausing the water during these activities (which I do). So that’s about 32 gallons left for washing dishes, washing clothes, using the toilet… My current toilet with a cistern above uses around 2 gallons a flush. Let’s say I go to the bathroom six times a day, that leaves me with 20 gallons for washing dishes and clothes.

Allora…. (so…)

The main contractor, Peppe, says the water from the well should be pumping into the cistern. (um… yes!). But maybe you remember that the secondary contractor, Francesco, said no no no, you don’t want to contaminate the cistern water. Hmmm…. Both agree that first we must have the water analyzed. The assumption is that buying a good filtration system would be cheaper and less of a hassle than paying for water to be brought in.***

Now, if the water can be pumped from the well and we install a good filtration system, we can continue using our current cistern, right?

Not so fast. Maybe the cistern is damaged. Maybe there is a leak. Maybe due to the roots? We don’t know. Or maybe I really did use 6000 liters of water over five weeks by myself and two with Tom in the fall. I suppose that’s reasonable. All we can do is watch and track our water usage.**

Which brings us to: installing a new cistern. (save the tree, move the cistern!) And that cost would be? The contractor estimates just over 17,000 (and that’s in euros and doesn’t include the installation).

I swallow hard. We do not have that kind of money.

BUT

We can save the tree then, yes?

Peppe shakes his head.

These trees, he says, will always have strong roots. Even if we put the new cistern there (closer to the property wall and gate), the roots will find it.

these are the roots that I’ve been cutting back during each visit

The Palermo ficus - that’s ONE tree - 25 meters high and 173 years old.*

We talk some more. I tell him how the roots were not in the cistern 2.5 years ago. Maybe the roots only broke through last year, when the island was in a drought. Yes, Peppe says, this is always a problem now. It is hotter and drier. (climate change folks, climate change)

All of this means, unfortunately my friends, the tree cannot stay. In fact, there are also roots in the well now, a well that is almost 100 years old...

But what if we plant lemon trees? I really want lemon trees. Maybe three?

Yes!, Peppe says enthusiastically – and he is not an enthusiastic man by nature. Lemon trees would be very nice. Lemon trees do not have the same long roots. Carlo, the gardener, had been equally enthusiastic. Sicilians are very proud of their lemon trees. More lemons are grown in Sicily than anywhere else in Italy. Peppe says, You should have lemon trees. This would be good.

So, lemon trees it is.

Everything has a life span. People, trees, animals, even buildings. If you are truly a person who has never thrown out a plant (forgot to water it?), had to cut down a tree (before it fell on your house or did some other damage), or even allowed the vet to administer that fateful shot that took your beloved pet across the rainbow bridge, well… Maybe you’ve killed a spider. Or hit a squirrel when driving. Or a bird has flown into your window, breaking their neck.

Buddha taught do no harm. Known as Ahimsa, this is a core principle of Buddhism. Do not hurt even an ant or a spider or a snake. Harm nothing. And who among us can claim we are faithful to this precept? Who among us has not contributed to climate change?

Is refurbishing old furniture better than buying new? Are the chemicals and paints used better than cutting trees, even if they’re from sustainable forests? What about those *fresh* Christmas trees, used for a few weeks then thrown in the garbage?

We will always cause harm. We will always have to weigh one thing against another and make difficult decisions. And that’s if we’re paying attention, if we’re doing our best.

As I keep saying here in Sicily, sto provando, sto provando.

I’m trying.

Tom, trying to keep the branches under control last spring

*** Water filtration systems are still not that common in Sicily. I met with a representative for a system that comes highly recommended and includes triple filtration, osmosis, and infrared light (for when the water stays in the system). The cost? 300 euro a year for 10 years, to be paid in total up front. Or, only 2,500 euros if we pay in cash. That’s a huge discount but we don’t have that kind of cash in a slush fund. Another friend has a different system and it’s about the same cost. And this is not for the full house but only for the kitchen sink. A system for the whole house? easily 5x that price or more. (I’m still investigating whether I can purchase something in the states and use it Sicily…). Bottom line:

Fresh, clean water is a privilege that we tend to take for granted.

Every drop is a gift.

Finding Home

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