Friday, April 22, 2011

You CAN get there from here

This post is one of those things that happens when I am supposed to be working and get carried away by something interesting instead. My friend Wayne on Vancouver Island has a Nayadic aerator as part of the septic system on his acreage.  I was learning more about it and came across this site for Vegetative Tertiary Filters for waste water from Type 2 Septic systems. Great pictures of awesome flower gardens, cattail beds and lush green riparian areas around ponds

Which reminded me of a few years back when my friend, Hubert, and I were in west-central Turkey looking for projects we hoped someone would be interested enough to fund. Water pollution in rivers from a couple of towns in the area were a big problem. One city was a leather tanning centre and the other had a packing plant and a few other delightful contributors to black river water.  We proposed building a wet-land or marsh filtration system (cattails and such) down river from the cities, which would rather inexpensivly take out the majority of pollutants. I think they opted for an expensive bricks and mortar system instead - which may or may not be built yet.  We need to go back.

The black water flowed through a beautiful canyon that they hoped to make into a tourist attraction.  Now it isn't the Grand Canyon of the Colorado but it isn't Frey's coulee where we went tobogganing as kids either.  We also looked at agriculture in a couple of valleys with potential for organic food production (hence the interest in CLEAN river water).  While we were there we did a little sightseeing too.  So today's blog is brought to you round about by Wayne's septic tank.

Ulubey Canyon
Kazanci River flows through Ulubey Canyon.  Black water!
Banaz Valley
Grapes drying in the sun
Cilandiras Bridge over the Banaz River
Built by the Lydians several centuries BC (railing not included)
Hubert and Murat.  Notice the "road" is more of a donkey track
Looking downriver in the Banaz Canyon
One of the last of the Lydians' kings was Croesus whose name is associated with great wealth. I could spent the rest of my life in turkey and never begin to see all the history and beauty associated with Asia Minor.

7 comments:

  1. Pretty scenery. Funny how when the majority of people in a given area want to clean up their local environment, it's usually for economic reasons, occasionally for health reasons, but NEVER for ethical reasons.

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  2. Your life has been as breath taking as your photography.

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  3. I have never been to that area of the world -- not even close. Beautiful.

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  4. Snowbrush, doing things because they are the right thing to do is not a common reason.
    Dana, we all do it but NEVER envy another person's life. The lives of others only look good on the outside.
    CD, check out all-inclusives to the Antalia region (Mediterranean coast) of Turkey for early October. It might be cheaper than you think. Fly Turkish Airlines if you can't get a charter.

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  5. Was just telling Mike about your post/photos and your recommendation. We love to explore new places, especially outdoor wilderness areas with beautiful scenery. Will check it out -- thanks for the tip!

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  6. Very interesting, and that bridge is amazing. What a shame they wouldn't go for your nature-based filtration plan.

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  7. SW, we may have another go at it. First we check to see what has been done in sewage clean up.

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