[quote=SD Squatter][quote=CA renter][quote=SD Squatter]Pretty much all the water used for washing (sinks, showers, washing machine) is perfectly fine for landscaping with no treatment. Right now it’s all mixed up with toilet and down the sever it goes (to the ocean).
Why is the reclaimed water usage for on-property landscaping not mandatory yet? Why are still new houses being build with no mandatory graywater reclamation systems build-in? Why does the government make it so difficult to retro-fit existing on-property sever lines for graywater reclamation? (I tried once, but gave up after seeing all ridiculous regulations and permit hoop jumping required.)
What about rainwater from your roof?
Some questions to ask our local goverment.[/quote]
This has long been one of my pet peeves, too. I do not favor “toilet to tap,” but think that every house built over the past 10-20 years should have been mandated to have a dual plumbing/wastewater system where the grey water is recycled, at least for outdoor/irrigation use. There is no reason for people to have to water with perfectly good, potable water unless they have a fruit/vegetable garden. Even then, filtered grey water (a simple charcoal filter, or something similar) should work for most applications.[/quote]
More on the greywater issue in this Huffington Post article:
If just one in ten Southern Californians were to install a greywater system in their home, the state would conserve as much potable water as it expects to generate through the massive $1 billion Carlsbad desalination plant.
During Governor Brown’s first term, the state offered tax credits to Californians who installed greywater systems (the incentives ended in 1982).
The City of Tucson, AZ reimburses residents up to $1,000 for the construction of greywater systems, and requires that newly constructed houses be plumbed for greywater.
The City and County of San Francisco publishes a manual for designing and constructing a residential greywater system, and offers rebates for permits for installations that require them. The city even provides free parts and loans out tools for the purpose.
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Interesting info, SD Squatter. What’s surprising to me is that we (apparently) had greywater systems that were available in 1982…and nothing was mandated for all the new building since then??? That’s insane. We’ve always had droughts in California; why aren’t greywater (and solar!) systems mandated for new homes and buildings?
It’s difficult to retrofit, but we’re probably going to look into this some more. It would be nice if they could offer tax credits again.
