First, The New Barrels.

Here are the new barrels in our driveway. We added water about a week prior to this picture. The front yard smelled of wine as the residue in the barrels mixed with the water and turned it red. We originally used #20 Monterey sand in the lower barrel to create the biofilter, but quickly found out that it was too fine and clogged up the pump, so the water could not circulate through the intake pipes which lay at the bottom. After a visit to the local masonry yard, the biofilter was remade by using varying sizes of Trinity River gravel. In the picture you can see two grades (sizes) of gravel. The larger is a thin layer on top of the fine pea gravel. As it turned out, the gravel was the better choice for a filter.

Next We Add Plants.

Water hyacinth was added to help cleanse the water. The roots and the base of the leaves turned a purplish color as the hyacinth absorbed the dissolved residue from the wine. The algae was working over time which made the water so cloudy you couldn't see the bottom of the barrel. Oxygenating plants such as Acaranthis were added to compete with the algae. We added a few fish and some beneficial bacteria (Clear Pond) to start the nitrogen cycle. In about three days the water was clear. Much to Isabelle's chagrin, her pasta serving bowls were absconded from her kitchen, filled with Trinity River gravel and placed under the bamboo pipes where they functioned as extra filters by catching the larger debris floating in the water as it flowed through the gravel and circulated throughout the system. If you look closely, you can see Herkamer the Pig wallowing in the lower biofilter barrel