By Misty M. Lees
Steadily rising human demand for water has caused previously ample reservoir and stream supplies to dwindle. Rations are required. Shortages are daily news. Last summer, the usually humid southeastern seaboard experienced an all-time record-setting drought. And H20 became a restaurant beverage with a price tag.
Letting gallons of water slide down the drain seems unfortunate—especially during a drought. Away it swirls into the sewer, barely touching the dinner dishes along the way. Driven by strict watering bans, many households have gotten creative and begun to reuse water from dishwashing, bathing, laundry, and light cleaning—called “graywater”—to nourish landscaping.
Although often forbidden by building codes, use of graywater has become increasingly accepted and even encouraged as a residential water conservation measure. Methods vary widely in cost, complexity, and water savings, from inexpensive buckets used to toss dishwater on flowers to whole-house recovery plumbing, tanks, filters, and irrigation systems. Some level of graywater use is available—and practical—for almost every household.
Shades of Gray
There’s no black-and-white definition for graywater, as the name implies. Approximately 50 percent of household wastewater may qualify. This would include used water that is free of significant solids, harmful bacteria, toxins, and mineral content (The term “graywater” is also used in reference to reclaimed runoff, most commonly used by municipalities to water highway medians and roadsides). The other 50 percent of the household’s usage includes water from softeners, septic systems, pools and water from the toilet, considered “blackwater”. Dishwater from non-vegan homes or water used to wash diapers, heavily soiled or infected clothing, or bedding may also be considered blackwater, containing risky amounts of solids and disease-causing bacteria.
Although it’s possible to flush toilets with it or to reuse laundry rinse water for washing the next load, the most common, practical, and safe graywater application is on residential landscaping. To consider your home’s graywater for reuse, look carefully at what goes down the drain. Does your family use soaps, shampoo, cleansers, and disinfectants that are biodegradable or biocompatible? Earth-friendly cleaning products are essential to maximizing graywater collection and minimizing stress on vegetation, so read labels carefully.
The fewer oils and animal products that go down the drain, the better. Chlorine, although toxic to plant life, appears to break down quickly, and small amounts will dissipate in the soil. And every family member or housemate must know the components for optimal graywater. A list posted in a prominent location can remind family members of what not to include.
Also consider the destination for your graywater: trees, shrubs, flowers, and ornamentals. To minimize the risk of getting bacteria, soaps, or toxins on the food you eat, do not use graywater on produce gardens. Spraying graywater over your grass is less risky, but the effects of bacteria spreading from ground to bare feet, knees, and hands are still unknown.
Select the Right System
Sometimes simpler really is better. The per capita faucet-water use rate is almost eleven gallons a day. Grandmother emptied her dishpan water on the zinnias, and you can too. Bathtub water—the average bath uses twenty-four gallons—is easy to re-use if you have a strong back and the right bucket. And don’t forget to save the water that runs out the tap while you wait for it to warm up, or the leftover water from cooking noodles and vegetables
If you have sufficient slope, you may be able to rig a hose siphon from the shower drain, tub, or washing machine directly to the garden. However, these systems can experience backwash and backlash.
If sink, tub, and washer drainpipes are accessible through a crawl space, basement, or outside wall, you can divert them into mulch basins or leach fields in your yard.
Graywater collection drums are another good choice. Usually positioned right outside the house, the drum access pipe or hose has a filter, which eliminates particles that can clog irrigation lines. Graywater should be held for less than twenty-four hours; longer periods may cause harmful organic growth, a bad stench, and murky flow.
Choose moveable, flexible above-ground irrigation lines. Permanent irrigation lines are harder to flush out, difficult to rearrange when leach fields are saturated or landscaping changes, and less adaptable to accommodate fluctuating flow volumes and slope. Permanent lines run the risk of freezing; hoses or above-ground systems can be disconnected for winter storage in northern climates.
More elaborate systems can be purchased or built, but the long-term assessments are still pending. New construction that includes a home graywater system alongside traditional plumbing offers the biggest return on investment, but without the written approval of local governments, they are seldom built.
The ultimate guidebook for do-it-yourselfers is Art Ludwig’s Create an Oasis with Greywater: Your Complete Guide to Choosing, Building, and Using Greywater Systems (Oasis Design, 1994; updated in 2002). Clear illustrations and descriptions allow you to pick and choose from numerous setups that will adapt to your own home. If local code allows for graywater use—or looks the other way—a plumbing contractor may be helpful, and Ludwig offers a builder’s guide as well.
Into the Wild Gray Yonder
The benefits of using graywater reach beyond water conservation. Landscaping makes up as much as 10 percent of home value in some places, and water restrictions or drought conditions can kill even the largest trees. Even expertly xeriscaped plots can suffer during drought. Graywater harvesting is a practical and ethical way to rescue your personal oasis.
Yet using graywater does more than revive your yard. Lower sewer flows may increase the longevity of home systems and local infrastructure. Wastewater treatment plants use another valuable resource—energy—but diversion of graywater into the environment reduces demand on these facilities. Homes that capture graywater experience increased conservation awareness and reduced waste. These households choose biocompatible products over less desirable counterparts, so the world’s backyard benefits too.
Provided by Natural Home - http://www.naturalhomemagazine.com
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