Alex Walker response to Jacky Foo's question:
>>What do you do with the effluent now ?
>Sadly, it is sent into the local sewer.
>
>Originally we intended to put the cleansed water into the Bay
>(a tidal inlet), but in the months following the construction of
>the Living Machine at Findhorn the local pollution enforcement
>agency,  the local authority and the water authority were all
>re-reorganized, and the Bay is in process of being designated
>as a nature reserve. In the ensuing chaos they have been
>unable to agree to this step so now we are setting up a system
>to have the water put into a soak away prior to setting up an irrigation system.

That's a real pity. First they tell you that you must treat your own waste water if you want to expand the community and now you are back to square one and send the effluent to the local sewer.

The situation is however very unique and could certainly serve as a unique opportunity for self-sustainability.

Personally I feel that a soak away is a poor solution eventhough it may be a cheap one.

I failed to locate anything associated with Findhorn in my atlas that I have at home and so I dont know the geographic location and background. Since it is the same latitude as southern Sweden, it probably will have the same climate.

Is fresh water a valuable commodity at Findhorn Bay ?

What are the primary food production activities of the eco-village ?

I think if you draw an input output flow diagram for the various activities of the community, you may be able to identify uses for the effluent. Alternatively, the space of the greenhouse for the LM could be used more efficiently to contain both wastewater treatment and food production activities.

Ultimately there is a need for a "sink" for the water; could this be canals for fish cultivation ?

regards
jacky foo