REGINA – As a self-described environmentalist, Jim Elliot admits he isn’t your typical Regina homeowner.
“I’m kind of living a rural life inside an urban setting.”
Four years ago, after constantly dealing with frozen pipes and having to deal with repairs, he said enough was enough.
“I just kind of gave up on that,” he said.
Now, Elliot is completely off the city’s water supply and gets his water from two other sources: jugs from the store and the rest from rain runoff.
“It just comes off the eaves trough, down the pipe into this barrel,” Elliot explained of his homemade water system.
Elliot says he uses the runoff water for baths and washing dishes and the store-bought water for cooking.
“I probably save a few hundred dollars a year.”
While the city says they haven’t seen other residents follow suit, they are reviewing the situation.
“If folks are using the waste water and the storm system then those still need to be paid for,” Wilson added.
However, that hasn’t deterred Elliot, he says he has also decided to rip out his grass in favour of a more bare front lawn.
“It would take a lot of energy and a lot of water to maintain a lawn here,” Elliot said.
The lifestyle change has meant giving up a few things like daily showers and the ease of just turning on a tap.
But according to Elliot, the sacrifice is worth it for mother nature and that even if people don’t want to go as extreme as he has, that there is something everyone can to do contribute.