Home » Greywater » Residential Grey Water Systems
Residential Grey Water Systems
Greywater, A Solution To The Water Crisis?
With populations increasing worldwide, our demand for clean freshwater has also drastically increased as well. Alternative sources of water supply are being examined, and one of these sources is greywater. Greywater systems allow for the recycle and reuse of grey wastewater. Several nations across the globe have already implemented greywater systems to prevent water shortages from their large demands of freshwater. In addition to water shortages, greywater systems provide an environmental and economical alternative to water treatment plants. Clearly there are several advantages - decrease the demand of the dwindling freshwater resource, reduce the need of costly sewage treatment plants, and help us achieve our goal towards sustainable development - in building a greywater system. What is Greywater? Greywater is defined as wastewater generated from domestic activates-such as bathtubs, showers, and sinks; laundry machines; and dishwashers-excluding toilets, which falls under sewage. Unlike sewage, which contains high levels of organic matter and nutrients from urine, feces, and toilet paper, greywater can be recycled and reused in order to conserve freshwater. Greywater reuse is potentially feasible for irrigation-landscape and recreation; toilet flushing; fire protection; cleaning; commercial air conditioning; construction; and industry. The two most ideal situations in which greywater would be used are irrigation and toilet flushing. Gardens use 34% of the total household water budget while toilet flushing varies from 29 - 47% in a household. That is a combined 65 - 81% that could be replaced with recycled greywater, thus reducing the need of freshwater. There are sufficient amounts of greywater from baths, showers, and sinks to fill the void of now unnecessary freshwater. Greywater Safety Issues However, there are a few concerns on whether greywater is safe to reuse. Greywater could be contaminated from household chemicals and microorganisms, two factors that could potentially lead to health and safety issues with greywater. Microorganisms-pathogenic viruses, bacteria, helminthes, and protozoa-originate from bathrooms (hand washing and diaper changing) to kitchens (raw meats and other spoiled foods). Greywater can also contain a variety of bacteria and other parasites such as E. coli, Salmonella, roundworms, and viruses. Furthermore, microorganisms found in greywater are not only a danger to humans, but also to the environment as they may lead to groundwater and plant contamination as well. Household chemicals also lead to environmental contaminations. Originating from mostly from detergents, soaps, and oil and grease, household chemicals are toxic and can pose as another danger with the reuse of greywater. Furthermore, greywater reuse in toilet flushing runs a risk of microbiological contamination, which poses a serious risk to health if contacted with people. In addition, greywater also contains undesirable materials-such as hair, lint, and fats-that could potentially clog pipes, which could damage the entire greywater system. Furthermore, greywater reuse in irrigation can lead to environmental contamination from both microorganisms and household chemicals. Both Eriksson et al. and Christova-Boal et al. propose discovering methods in treating greywater before it should be reused. Future of Greywater Uses Fortunately, methods of successfully reusing greywater have already been put into use worldwide. One of the most successfully greywater systems is found in Madhya Pradesh, India, where 3, 500 schools have efficient greywater reuse systems capable of treating sufficient amounts of water for toilet flushing, cleaning school floors, and irrigation. Under this system, greywater goes through three treatment steps: 1. Absorption of soap; 2. Filtration; and 3. Treatment using aeration and chlorination. More important, the treatment of greywater is very efficient in this system; greywater treatment systems have been serving thousands of Madhya Pradesh students since 2006 with no reported illnesses. Madhya Pradesh demonstrates that greywater systems are highly capable in providing sufficient amounts of greywater for toilet flushing and irrigation. References Christova-Boal, Diana; Robert E. Eden; and Scott McFarlane. "An investigation into greywater reuse for urban residential properties." Desalination 106 (1996) : 391 - 397. Web. 4 April 2010. "Clean Water Utility Initiative." Proposal Plan : March 9, 2009. Web. 18 April 2010. Eichenseher, Tasha. "Just add (gray) water." Environmental Science and Technology (2008) : 2210. Web. 18 April 2010. Eriksson, Evan; Karina Auffarth; Mogens Henze; and Anna Ledin. "Characteristics of grey wastewater." Urban Water 4 (2002) : 85 - 104. Web. 4 April 2010. Godfrey, Sam; Labhasetwar, Pawan; and Satish Wate. "Greywater reuse in residential schools in Madhya Pradesh, India-A case study of cost-benefit analysis." Resources, Conservation, and Recycling 53 (2009) : 287 - 293. Web. 18 April 2010. Lazarova, V.; Hills, S.; and R. Birks. "Using recycled water for non-potable, urban uses: a review with particular reference to toilet flushing." Water Science and Technology 3 (2003) : 69 - 77 Web. 18 April 2010. Okun, Daniel. "Water Reclamation and Unrestricted Nonpotable Reuse: A New Tool in Urban Water Management." Annual Reviews Public Health 21 (2000) : 223 - 245 Web. 18 April 2010. Vaineyi, Yogesh. "School Kids Educate Experts in Water Management in Madhya Pradesh." unicef.org n.d. Web. 18 April 2010. By Chris Law - Chris is currently majoring in Environmental Systems at the University of California, San Diego
|
Next page: Grey Water Tank
Bookmark/Share This Page:
|
|
|
Residential Grey Water Systems News
Occupy the Farm Dug In, Dug Up - Bay Area Indymedia
20 May 2012 at 2:34am  Bay Area Indymedia | Bay Area Indymedia As it stands, the farm has sent a message about the privatizing of public universities and public land, genetically modified food stuffs, urban farming and food sovereignty. But this message is secondary to the action. The farm is not only and not ... Open Letter: Going Forward on Gill TractPatch.com Occupying Farmland for Organic Food and Fairness Exposes University ElitismAlterNet all 8 news articles » |
Read more...
Charter One offering grants to help Detroit farmers, market vendors grow - Th...
19 May 2012 at 7:12pm  WXYZ | The Detroit News Grants of varying amounts will be awarded to participants in three programs: urban farming development, market vendor improvement and Detroit community markets development. Among those eligible are vendors in the city's nine farmers markets as well as ... Charter One offers $100000 in grantsWXYZ all 4 news articles » |
Read more...
Urban farmers fight to be treated like their country cousins - Austin America...
18 May 2012 at 8:58pm  Austin American-Statesman | Austin American-Statesman The farm's ducks waddle among the crops, occasionally nibbling on plants but mostly keeping troublesome insects away from their urban countryside home. Springdale Farm's urban location at 755 Springdale Road in East Austin means its owners are not ... |
Read more...
From Rooftops And Abandoned Lots, An Urban Harvest - NPR
18 May 2012 at 12:54pm NPR From rooftop apiaries in Paris to a vegetable-and-chicken farm in Philadelphia, agriculture has come to the city. Urban farmer Mary Seton Corboy and food writer Jennifer Cockrall-King talk about the future of food in the city. Plus, Tama Matsuoka Wong ... and more » |
Read more...
Urban Farming: Raising Chickens, Bees and Crops in Somerville - Patch.com
18 May 2012 at 4:37am Patch.com Urban agriculture fans voiced support for a proposed ordinance that would allow farming in Somerville. By Chris Orchard Khrysti Smyth, who lives near Porter Square, has eight chickens in her back yard. They live in a chicken coop she built herself, ... and more » |
Read more...
Urban farmers get growing in Parkdale - Toronto Star
17 May 2012 at 11:13pm  Toronto Star | Toronto Star When you're producing more than 120 pounds of food ? tomatoes, beans, chard, kale, arugula, eggplant, garlic, radishes, peas, herbs and more ? from a very small backyard over one growing season, you've gone from gardener to small urban farmer. |
Read more...
Tour: Urban Agriculture Coming of Age - Patch.com
17 May 2012 at 3:14am Patch.com By Darrell MacAulay, Institute of Urban Homesteading When we started the Institute of Urban Homesteading in 2008, urban agriculture was a marginal activity practiced by a handful of intrepid individuals. Now stories of urban chickens and bees abound, ... and more » |
Read more...
