Greywater: Where to go from here?

Written by admin on April 15th, 2010

“Viewed from any single, narrow perspective, greywater systems don’t look that important…But when you look at the whole picture, how everything connects- the keystone importance of greywater is revealed.”

– Art Ludwig, Create an Oasis with Greywater

As I have thought about it, the genius of greywater has, indeed, been revealed. It may not be the solution that saves the most quantity of water, but it is a revolutionary way to relate to water. In terms of my goals for the Sweetwater Project, that is my biggest, to understand how I (and we, my dear readers) can relate to water and rivers in a way that makes us feel like we are part of a bigger system instead of isolated islands, where we are aware and in conversation with the web we are apart of, instead of mindlessly using and unconscious of where our resources are going. Greywater, then, is a piece to this puzzle.

When you have a greywater system, you can tangibly see the results of what you put down your drain in your garden.

“(Greywater) makes people think about what they’re using and putting down the drain because you might kill your plants’”  Laura Allen, from Greywater Action said, referring to all the things we dump down our drain into the sewer without thinking about it. As our water systems are set up currently, “the impacts on the environment are hidden.” Greywater changes that, bringing our relationship to water to our attention.

Greywater is also just plain smart. Turning a waste to a resource. “It’s a logical, simple thing that everyone should do,” Allen said, “There is no reason to irrigate plants with potable water. No reason to send barely dirty water through the costly wastewater treatment process.”

And there are so many ways to go about it. After reading much Ludwig’s book, I have realized how many types of greywater systems there are. From the most complex and professionally built system, to a 40 minute do-it-yourself install, there are numerous ways you can go about creating your own system. A good middle ground seems to be as Ludwig says, “a carefully considered and optimized, do-it-yourself, residential, retrofit system for gravity flow irrigation.” A system such as this will be affordable and take a minimum amount of maintenance once it is installed (if you’ve done good planning.)

To review:

Why use greywater?

– to save freshwater

– to lengthen the life of your septic system (see Ludwig’s book)

– to purify wastewater without energy or chemicals (through the biological action in the top 6 inches of the soil.)

If greywater sounds daunting, but you’d like to be a steward of the water cycle and create more green beauty, consider simply capturing more rainfall in your yard. Think about making swales or mulch basins, both of which are super simple, involving digging a small hole and filling it with mulch. Also, consider adding more organic material to your soil, or better yet, reclaiming cement areas back to soil. The more organic matter in your soil, the better to catch and naturally filter water with. And the more water captured and filtered, the cleaner and larger our water supply is. We can all do our small part!

And for All of Us, including us apartment-dwellers, it is time to consider how we can lessen our share of freshwater use. That includes me! Stay tuned as I retrofit my apartment with affordable water-saving devices soon!

For more information:

Greywater Action– For greywater installation courses or for a list of qualified greywater installers. www.greywateraction.org

Art Ludwig and Oasis Design– Ludwig’s book, the bible of greywater, Create an Oasis with Greywater, is amazing for the planning and building how-tos of greywater systems. For great greywater information and to buy the book, go to Ludwig’s website for Oasis Design. www.oasisdesign.net.

Press here for a YouTube video that shows a legal greywater system.

Dig Co-op– For greywater installation, and other eco-design projects in the Bay Area. www.dig.coop

One of the many beauties of greywater is that it is accessible and affordable for most people. As Art Ludwig says, “Greywater reuse enables you personally to do more with the same amount of water and to increase your water security. At the same, your greywater reuse reduces the problems of supply and pollution for everyone.”

Next week, I will be immersed in the last undammed river system in California, the watershed of the Smith River. Stay tuned for Sweetwater Project updates in two weeks!

artwork by me.

 

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