How it works
Graywater systems channel household water from showers and washing machines to yards, gardens and orchards, through diverted plumbing lines.
There are limits to the reuse: kitchen water from the sink or dishwasher can’t be graylined because food waste could contain bacterial contaminants. Water containing human waste from toilets or diapers also has to go to sewers.
And while the water can safely irrigate fruit trees, tomato vines or berry bushes, it can’t go directly on root crops, or on low-lying plants such as lettuce.
Still, advocates say that in San Diego, where about half of household water goes to irrigation, graywater can make a dent in water use.
“San Diegans use about 50 percent of their water outside,” Lightner said. “For single-family households, if you could save your water, it would definitely reduce your water bill, and reduce consumption throughout the city.”
Until now, complex permit requirements have led many conservationists to install the systems informally.
“It’s sort of one of those things that has happened forever,” said Laura Allen, co-founder of Greywater Action, a Bay Area-based organization that has promoted graylines since 1999. “They weren’t very common in urban areas, but in rural areas, they were always common.”
The changes the city is considering could make graywater systems more common in parched, populous San Diego.
Read more at: http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/oct/29/tp-from-graywater-to-green-landscapes/?page=1
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