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Homestead Rescue exclusive: Salt water seeping inland makes headaches for homesteader

Marty Raney will soon regret tasting this Oregon homesteader's water. Pic credit: Discovery.
Marty Raney will soon regret tasting this Oregon homesteader’s water. Pic credit: Discovery.

Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink. On tonight’s Homestead Rescue, the importance of viable and drinkable water is made evident as the ace Homestead experts, the Raney clan, are called in to help an Oregon family with their contaminated water supply.

In our exclusive clip, we see the owner bring Marty around to a garden hose, where Marty asks if he can take a sip of the water. As we quickly learn, this was a very bad idea.

Porous volcanic rock has allowed saltwater to contaminate the water supply. The owner urges Marty to try the water after he asks, “May I taste it?”

“Pretty salty, huh?” says the homesteader, adding: “Something’s gonna happen here, watch out!”

Sure enough, the hose Marty is holding after he drank from it sputters and explodes with muddy copper-colored water. Marty is horrified.

The owner of the homestead says: “I believe the salts probably corroding the casing that’s inner well…”

Looking at him like ‘what the heck?’, Marty says: and I just tasted that?

The homesteader says: “I was like… I wanted to tell you to hurry up.”

That didn’t help. Marty gives him a look and says: “Holy moly!” Then he regroups and asks the man, “All right, so explain to me the catchment system.”

The owner of the homestead explains that during the winter, the water comes off his roof, pointing out where it happens.

Still looking like he’s dealing with a bit of a novice, Marty says: “Well, this isn’t winter… how much is in there?

The homesteader looks sheepish at this point and says: “I’d say maybe 1500 gallons combined right now.”

Marty says: “So we’ve got about 1,500 gallons of water on the homestead… is there any other ways that you’re catching water here?

The homesteader says no, that’s all their water.

Dire Water Shortage

The Raneys, lead by patriarch Marty Raney, help this Oregon couple with a toxic saltwater well, contaminated by seawater from the Pacific ocean. They are thirsty, and they are desperate for a viable and potable water source.

The Oregon homestead sits on an underground store of water or aquifer made of porous volcanic rock, which has allowed seawater to percolate inland.

Compounding the problem, over-tapping, and lack of rain diminished the aquifer’s freshwater supply causing the saltwater to take over.

Marty needs clay to build a massive catchment pond, and Matt must build a large scale solar still to actually de-contaminate the brackish and mineral-filled water.

He says: “They need about a hundred thousand gallons a year to homestead properly… a couple animals, a garden, these homesteaders come up ninety-nine thousand gallons short. They’re running dry.”

The show features the three Raneys, Marty, Misty, and Matt, who work together to solve what appears to be insurmountable problems for homesteads, from structural issues to infestations.

Exclusive preview of Homestead Rescue:

Watch as Marty Raney firsts tastes then explains that the season and timing demands they take action right now to fix this salty dilemma before the nonstop rains settle in for fall and winter season in the Pacific Northwest:

Homestead Rescue airs Thursday at 8 pm on Discovery.

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Adrienne Reese
Adrienne Reese
3 years ago

Ahola family, did your pond fill with water? i’m dying to know how things are going for you.

Jessica Ahola
Jessica Ahola
3 years ago

Hi Adrienne. I just stumbled into this article today! I will be publishing a blog soon so there is easy place for people to get updates on our situation and how the projects from the show have turned out. Raincatcherhomestead.com will be it. Stay tuned! And thanks for watching the show and checking in.