BD Brain Teasers (2)

[Roger Pye]

Scenario: A paddock with a roughly circular dam (open water storage) capacity about 30,000 litres of water. Plenty of life in and around this dam (frogs, reeds,birds, assorted vegetation including grass, thistles, mustard weed, mullein, wild sage) which is fed by a nutrient rich underground stream coming in from the west. Rainfall is less than 12 inches a year. There is an outlet on the eastern 'side' at ground level, aside from a little underground seepage it only runs in times of heavy rain.

Near the dam are four black plastic 200 litre drums with push-fit lids, all were filled from the dam:

No 1 was filled 10 Oct 02 when the dam was full and the water comparatively clear. (Vitality rating (VR) about 1500).

Nos 2 and 3 were filled 12 Oct 02 immediately after 7,000 litres had been pumped from the dam. There had been no rain, the underground inlet feed was reduced and evaporation was increasing so the water was 'gluggy' to say the least. VR was then 2000. No 2 was potentised the same day as a weed pepper. A manure/molasses based compost tea was started in No 3 mid-November. The tea was finished by 1 Dec and made ready for spraying out on 10 Dec (but was not used).

No 4 was filled 10 Dec immediately after another 7,000 litres had been pumped from the dam. There had still not been any rain, the dam level was down, so this water was very thick indeed (VR 2500).

The four drums have been standing in the open in very hot conditions with lids fitted to reduce evaporation. Their contents were last looked at 21 Jan 03.

Imagine you did the looking - what would you expect to find in terms of water quality, temperature and VR?

(VR equates to lifeforce. For comparison purposes:
the VR of rainwater falling on the Snowy Mountains is about 1500;
of a reasonably fit person first thing after rising but before breakfast, 850;
of a weed (african lovegrass), 500;
of a growing vegetable (tomato plant), 1500;
of a healthy tree (eucalypt, 20 metres), 60,000 (but this includes a 'contained habitat' loading factor).

roger