Comments on: Rethinking Water: Greywater Guerillas Workshop

By: Bryan Roberts

Bryan Roberts — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 03:03:54 +0000

I am a General Contractor in Florida. We are building the first Earthship here in this state (very tough codes here) and the Dept of Enviroment and Health are actually working with us to install a greywater system; it is through an innovative use permit and will require follow-up testing. The good news is that by proving the viability of the subsurface wick system we can hopefully help to open the door to more common use of these type systems. Although everyone thinks of this state as an abundant source of water, we have serious issues with overuse of the aquifer system and contamination of groundwater as well as our bays and estuaries with overloading of the sewer systems. A well thought out greywater system designed into many homes would start to reverse the damage done.

By: Lan Bui

Lan Bui — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 06:22:40 +0000

I did not know this was possible!!!

This is so cool.

By: David

David — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 00:01:11 +0000

New Mexico allows it too – hopefully we will be moving into an earthship in the coming years out in Taos, where they encourage grey water use!

By: jay

jay — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 17:24:14 +0000

agreed Regina. it seems a no brainer to capture rainwater..and reuse kitchen water.

By: regina

regina — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 01:16:18 +0000

Great info!!! I live in the only remaining D-4 drought area of Alabama and I’m always looking for ways to save/collect water to keep the garden growing…. Thanks. (Should you tell the homeowner’s name since it’s not permitted???)

regina

By: jay

jay — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 05:25:14 +0000

good point Chris. In system where you have a well and septic tank, you’re already set up. It’s the urban areas that need to rethink how they use our water. Mant people probably have never lived in a place where they have to deal with the consequences of a dry well…or an overflowing septic system.

By: Chris

Chris — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 02:09:41 +0000

It is very interesting to see how water is handled in the more urban and arid areas. We’re in rural New Hampshire. Water is very abundant and in our home water conservation isn’t a daily concern (we’re more concerned with conserving the electricity used to pump the water).

We have both a private well and a private septic system. The water we use is moved from the front yard (from a well 30 feet deep), through the house as we use it, into the back yard (into a septic system). A total movement of 40 feet at most.

Exceed the amount of water the land can give and the well stops giving water while it “recharges” and if you fail to maintain a healthy septic system then… yeah that’s much worse. EVERYTHING that goes down the drain needs to be bio-degradable or bad things happen. Very local bad things.

Very interesting video and concept.

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 00:20:10 +0000

I like this, a lot. During the drought in the mid/late 80′s we used to save our greywater by transferring tub water and sink water into buckets, then walk them out front back to water the non-edible plants. The backbreaking work only happens once here…when you put in the system. And, with friends, it didn’t look too bad.

By: adam

adam — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 20:52:10 +0000

water, we take it so much for granted. Imagine the horrific world without it, or at least without clean water. I’ll look at what I can rig up at home. Our water bills are huge, we waste so much on sprinklers.

By: cheryl

cheryl — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 18:56:56 +0000

Interesting. We took our own clothes washing machine off of the sewer system. Water from it goes directly into the flowerbed of an ornamental tree in our back yard, and we don’t really ever need to water it. I do have to pull weeds out of the area every spring, and when I do, I wear a dust mask. The weeds tend to trap a significant layer of soap scum from the washing machine. I don’t want to be breathing that in.

But, having done some reading up on greywater, I don’t think I would consider using it to water food plants without running it through at least a sand filter. It seems like a nice, easy way to eliminate more of the potential pathogens from the water.

Love the idea of a valve that lets you choose, this water here, this water there.