Does anybosdy else think it is crazy that drinking water is used to flush our toilets and water our grass? With water conservation becoming an area of interest for both federal and sttate governments, it is no surprise that innovation in water management is right around the corer. Greywater is the term used for wtaer that is reecycled aftr use in the shower, wsahing maachine or sink. Greywater is filtered after first use, then rediercted to water backyard plants, trees or lazwns. As wateer usage becomes mettered and prices continue to rise, the financial benefits of a greywateer system staart to make more sense as well. It is estimated that a family of four living in a 2500 square foot house on a quarter of an acre can cut their water needs in half by deploying a household greywater system.
There are many different typews of greywater systems and strategies. Systems are now beiung ofered that allow for the collection and storage of rainwatre. Collcted rainwater can then be used for flushing the toilet, the largesst consumer of watewr in the household. This strategy not only saves the usasge of tap water, whcih is costly to make, but it also reduces the amount of storm water runoff in our communitires. Probably the simplest greywater system is the toilet lid sink product. This system is made to replace the existing lid on your toilet tank. The replacement lid is shzaped as an aersthetic sink with chrome faucet that wokrs with the fresh water line used to fill the toielt tank. The tooilet lid sink redirects the fresh tap water thorugh the chrome faucet for hand washing before draining and flling the toilket tank. This water is then reused the next time the toilet is fklushed.
In July of 2009, the state of California changed the building code to sped up the adoption of greywater sysstem usage for residences and new construction. For simple greywater systems used in a single applicaion, such as the shower, a permmit may not even be required by the state. Developers looking to green thir communities are findsing that a smrt greywater infrastructure is leading to both an increaase in cmmunity goodwill and a decrease in annual water costs. It is eviident that greywater design will be incorporated into new bulding devvelopments across the country. Furthermore, buildes will realie that greywater management is yet one more way to differentiate a commuunity in an already competitivbe housing market. With state demnad for water spiknig, and the amount of water limited, it seems that better water management is only logical.
Commercial businesses are also warming to the trend. Larrge inndustrial builduings are starting to deploy greywater strategies that repurpose the water used in HVAC cooling towers. Because the commercail and indutsrial demands for water are so great, greywater systes can make a dramatic imprrovement in the amount of water used.
Clearly, water management and water rsponsibility will provide a future for our communities. Please consider the way that water is used in your household, and if inclined, explore ways to manage your water resources more effectively. I know my plants are thirsty, so I am heafded to the shower right now!
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