Going Gray to Get Green

As a professional greenie, I am especially conscious of wasting water. When washing dishes in the sink, or taking showers, I think about the precious commodity that our water is -- especially in the parched Southwest -- and how it is literally going down the drain. I have even caught myself timing my showers and challenging myself on how quickly I can soap up and get out.

Gray water systems provide a way to retrieve this used but not useless water. Of course you wouldn't drink it, but for landscaping irrigation and just watering the flowers, it can be safely reclaimed in many cases, potentially saving millions of gallons of water per year. For homeowners with larger lots of, say, a quarter acre and up, gray water systems can make an immediate impact on preserving this precious resource while reducing your water bill significantly. Guiltless landscaping, quite the concept, eh?

Previously, there were many restrictions on this practice because of concerns about contaminants seeping into the water table. However, the passage of California Assembly Bill 313, while still restrictive, is a step in the right direction. California's new positioning on gray water is significant because residential users no longer need a building permit to install systems. For the country, this is significant because most progressive states follow California's lead on environmental legislation.

The simplest and most basic gray water system is, literally, keeping a bucket in the shower and using the water you've accumulated to water the landscaping or grass. Kind of a pain to carry the bucket outside, but, hey it works. I also put a large bowl under the faucet while I am washing dishes, any water caught, immediately.

So why isn't everybody doing it? Mostly because it takes time, effort and money to install a mechanical gray water system. And you need to find a contractor with the skills and experience to install the system properly. It's really worth looking into. For more information on gray water policies in your area, see Oasis Design. For guidance on how to get started with your own gray water system, visit GrayWater.net or Sierra Club Green Home.

Comments

[vegasgrl]

02:33 PM on 09/03/2009

So, living in the desert, the local media is saturated with information about the drought and how we must conserve water. We can no longer have grass in our front yards because we need to change them out for rocks that don't need to be watered. We can't water our plants or wash our cars on certain days of the week. Well, then why is water still so cheap? I don't understand that.

[PJangles]

01:57 PM on 09/03/2009

Can I just say that one of the most irritating ways people waste water is in the dishwasher. Using an automatic dishwasher can actually save water, especially the energystar ones that are geared toward conserving energy....and especially if you pack it before running it. But why do people insist on loading the dishwasher halfway and then running it!? It wastes water.

[ecochik]

04:46 PM on 08/25/2009

I thought I was the only person who did the "bucket thing"! I've always known how important it is to save water because my mother comes from a place where they had no running water, and the only water they had all day came from a few trips to the well in the morning to fill 2 garbage-cans. That water was used to cook, clean, shower, and flush the toilet; and when that was gone, you're screwed until the next morning well-trip. Most people don't go around purposely wasting water, but being more conscious of how much we actually use will help us realize where we can save.

[GiveSomeTreeLovin]

05:26 PM on 08/24/2009

I just went to find other articles by Jennifer and I found this site! Check out Sierra Club Green Home for other articles about water conservation.

[jennymae]

05:30 PM on 09/03/2009

Yah, I love to read the articles on Sierra Club. They're really interesting and informative.

[GiveSomeTreeLovin]

05:23 PM on 08/24/2009

And thank you again Jennifer for a great article!!

[GiveSomeTreeLovin]

05:23 PM on 08/24/2009

I agree with Abi, and I personally don't let the faucet run while I'm brushing my teeth. And for others that don't know, brushing your teeth in the shower doesn't save water either. The shower output is greater than the faucet and if you brush at the sink w/o running the faucet, you'll save a lot more water than brushing in the shower.

[Abi Wright]

02:24 AM on 08/24/2009

Showers are the hardest for me in my personal water war and I've made an effort to cut them by half. Just being more concious about water conservation helps greatly because when you brush your teeth or wash your face, you think about whether or not you really need to be running it down the drain for no reason.

[MarcQB]

05:54 PM on 08/21/2009

I currently live in Cali too, and they recently made some changes to the graywater laws. It's now easier to install a graywater system cause permits are no longer necessary for simple home ones. My roommate is big into the green lifestyle, so he's super excited to install a graywater system.

[GiveSomeTreeLovin]

05:54 PM on 08/21/2009

Secondary water usage is important! I never thought of taking a bucket into the shower with me, but now I do. Actually, I have another bucket in the garage that I can use, so I can get double the water! I'll put one by the drain and one behind me so I can cover all angles. I probably won't use it to drink, but at least I can use it to water my turnips outside on the days where my sprinkler system isn't scheduled. That would give them extra moisture on the days where the air and land seem to be dryer. Thanks for the idea!

[GiveSomeTreeLovin]

05:37 PM on 08/21/2009

I agree, most Greywater installation is very expensive, but well worth it. If we save, we won't have to crave. So lets all do our part.

[IslandLove]

05:54 PM on 08/21/2009

Are there any good ways to "clean" da "grey water". I jus dont know bout puttin my dirty dish water on my new car's paint. Or even on my driveway. Watering da plants will work, but using it to clean things with already dirty water don't sound clean at all. Other ideas maybe?

[zaytoon12]

05:17 PM on 08/21/2009

I live in California and many resorts and homes here already reuse their greywater.

[BridgeCrewe]

05:13 PM on 08/21/2009

Water conservation is essential today! Making sure that we all try and conserve all natural resources is the only way we can assure a future for generations to come! Thanks Jennifer!

[HuffingtonPostPimp]

04:52 PM on 08/21/2009

I'm not carrying a bucket into my shower! You carry a bucket! I get saving water, but that's too much.

[ClearKrew]

05:15 PM on 08/21/2009

I kind of agree with you, but not so harshly. I understand the importance of conserving the water for outdoor purposes, but really-- carrying it out of my shower? I think that maybe dish sink water can be good for things like outdoor vegetation and maybe even cleaning cars once in awhile but what other things would you really be saving that water for?

[zaytoon12]

05:32 PM on 08/21/2009

You can use the water for your garden, to clean the drive way, to wash the car, to water houseplants, and even to run outdoor fountains.

[vegasgrl]

02:38 PM on 09/03/2009

You obviously don't live in the desert.

[Abi Wright]

04:43 PM on 08/21/2009

I for one have a new found appreciation for water conservation living in the dry, arid desert of Nevada, and grey water ideas are becoming more and more interesting to me and my water bills. I used to live in Georgia and there, water is not hard to come by whether it be from the rain or the swamps. Here, it only rains about 20 days out of the year (it seems) and that's only if the storm is big enough to actually soak the ground! I've been told about saving the dish water and bath water for the plants, but I need to make sure my soaps are vegetable based, so as not to kill my outdoor vegetation. I did find a great body wash that is 98% organic (and the packaging is also biodegradable) at Wal-Mart. It's the Pure & Natural product line and the products work great, so now I know I can try collecting shower & bath water to use outside.

[Green4Life]

04:38 PM on 08/21/2009

Wouldn't it be nice if all Americans were educated on the many different ways of water conservation? We have the possibility to save thousands and thousands of water merely by reusing shower or laundry water, but most of us, instead, let it go down the drain. People should be educated on the simple ways to conserve water. Most people don't even know what graywater systems are, which is quite a shame (and a waste of water).