Grey water systems presentation 6 18-2015 final

Grey Water Systems: What they are,
why their time has come and how you
can participate in converting our most
precious resource
ECO Green Group Thursday June 18, 2015
by
Tony Green
Copyright @ Tony Green 2015

Agenda
• How have we arrived at this point?
• What is Grey Water? What is in Grey Water?
• What are Grey Water Systems types/benefits of using/risks?
• What should be in our water anyway?
• What are the parts of a Grey Water System?
• Grey Water System Regulation?
• To Permit or not to Permit
• Case Study
• Takeaway/Summary
• Question and Answers

Will California’s future look like this?
http://www.ohwy.com/history%20pictures/dustroad.gif
http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/dustbowl/
http://www.livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe30s/media/water0201.jpg

Water Use Statistics
18.5 gallons a day for flushing toilets, 5 times a day for the typical home, 5.7 billion gallons of water a day
nationally.
The largest consumer of water in the US is the water used in the generation of electricity. Not hydroelectric but coal
gas and nuclear power for cooling and making steam. 49% of all the water in the US. 7x of homes and 1.5 times of
farms.
16% of water is lost due to leakage which winds up back in the ground.
Source: The Big Thrust by Charles Fishman
Chapter 1 the Revenge of water

How have we arrived to this point?
Three main sources of water sustain California –
Mountain Snowpack
Water stored in Reservoirs
Water pumped from underground Aquifers
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almaden_Reservoir https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_in_California http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2015/05/29/c
alifornia_s_snowpack_now_zero_percent_of_normal_a
_worst_case_scenario_for.html

All are connected, and when the Governor declared a drought
emergency on January 17, 2014, all three had been depleted by
an extended dry period.
 The Sierra Nevada snowpack stood at 14 percent of
normal.
 The state's two biggest reservoirs held less than 40 percent
of their capacity and
 Aquifer levels from Siskiyou County to San Diego County
were in decline.

http://www.water.ca.gov/waterconditions/background.cfm
Drought can best be thought of as a
condition of water shortage for a
particular user in a particular location
Droughts occur slowly, over a period of time.
There is no universal definition of when a
drought begins or ends
Drought is a gradual phenomenon
Significant statewide droughts occurred during 1928-
34, 1976-77, 1987-92, and 2007-09. The last significant
regional drought occurred in parts of Southern
California in 1999-2002.
http://i.livescience.com/images/i/000/025/737/iFF/drought-
weather.jpg?1332776088
Where did the water go?

http://www.californiadrought.org/drought/current-conditions/

http://www.californiadrought.org/drought/current-conditions/http://cnas.ucr.edu/drought-symposium/presentations/Hydrology-2-CA.pdf.
No Rain , No Snow pack , No Water Accumulation ---- No Water to stockpile our reservoirs

What Is Grey Water ?
Greywater is all water from house except from toilets and garbage
disposal.
 Kitchen
 Shower
 Sink
 Washing machine
This comprises from 50% to 80% of
residential waste water
http://www.slideshare.net/AshrafRefaat/greywater-44033346?related=1

What should (or Shouldn’t) be in
our water?
Radiation
Silicone
Octane
Lysol
Bacteria
Chloroform

Potable Water Requirements
http://www.sanjoseca.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1040

Where do we get our Potable Water ?
Source : http://www.watereducation.org/all-california-water-sources
 Central Valley Project
 State Water Project
 The Colorado River
 Local Streams and
Reservoirs
Groundwater
 Other Major Water
Systems

Where do we get our Potable Water ?
Source: https://www.ebmud.com/water-and-
drought/about-your-water/water-supply/ebmud-and-
delta/
Other Major Water Systems
 A number of large population centers in
California have developed their own
extensive water projects.
 The Hetch Hetchy Project transports
Tuolumne River water 156 miles from the
Central Sierra to San Francisco and
peninsula cities.
 The East Bay Municipal Utility District
supplies cities on the east side of San
Francisco Bay with Mokelumne River water.
Source: http://bawsca.org/water-supply/hetch-hetchy-
water-system/

What Is breakdown of Grey Water?
50%
15%
30%
5%
Percent of Greywater
Bathroom (bath, basin,
shower)
Kitchen
Laundry
Other - other taps
/Dishwasher

What is in our Grey Water?
Source
Percent of
Greywater
Contaminants
Bathroom (bath,
basin, shower)
50
contaminated with hair, soaps, shampoos, hair
dyes, toothpaste, lint, nutrients, body fats, oils and
cleaning products. It may also contain some fecal
contamination (and the associated pathogens)
through body washing
Kitchen 15 food particles, oil, grease, etc.
Laundry 30
lint, oils, grease, laundry detergents, chemicals,
soaps, nutrients and other compounds. It may
also contain some fecal contamination
Other - other taps
/Dishwasher
5
food particles, oil, grease, etc.
Total 100

What is in our Grey Water?
Parameter Units Minimum Maximum Typical
pH - 7.2 9 7.5
Alkalinity (as CaCO3) mg/l 75 200 100
Total Suspended Solids mg/l 20 45 30
Conductivity uS/cm 1,000 1,600 1300
TDS (measured) mg/l 500 1,000 800
BOD5 mg/l 20 45 30
COD mg/l 60 400 200
Oil & Grease mg/l 10 20 15
Calcium mg/l 50 80 65
Magnesium mg/l 10 35 20
Sodium mg/l 150 760 390
Chloride mg/l 200 1,050 520
Fluoride mg/l 0.8 5 2
Potassium mg/l 30 60 50
Sulfate mg/l 10 70 50
Silica mg/l 60 75 70
Total Silica mg/l 75 100 85
Temperature deg C 20 30 25
Source: http://www.slideshare.net/MelvinEldin/grey-water-recycling-system

The Difference between Gray &
Potable?
Wastewater contains some soap, salts, hair, suspended
solids and bacteria, but that is clean enough to water plants.
- San Francisco Water Manual June 2012 Version

So what are the risks of using Grey
Water ?
Human health disease-causing organisms
(human pathogens such as bacteria, viruses
and protozoa).
Environment contaminants including fats and
oils, food scraps, nutrients, salts, sodium,
phosphorus, detergents, cleaning products,
sunscreens and personal care products. Long-
term watering with greywater containing these
contaminants can affect sensitive plants and
soil
Source: Urban Greywater Design and Installation Handbook November 2008 RMIT University in Australia

What are the types of Grey Water Systems?
 Laundry-to-Landscape (L to L)
 Branched Drain
 Pumped System
 Manufactured
 Sand Filter to Drip Irrigation
Source : San Francisco Water Manual June 2012 Version
More complicated systems (gravity
versus pumps), (treatment versus
application) the
cost more !
All but L to L require permit

Benefits of Grey Water Systems
Source : San Francisco Water Manual June 2012 Version
Decrease potable water use by 16 to 40 percent,
depending on the site.
Decrease water and wastewater utility bills.
Diversify the water portfolio and provide an alternate
source of irrigation water, reserving treated potable
water for high-quality water needs.
.

More Benefits of Grey Water Systems
 Reduce the energy (approximately 2 watt-hours per gallon
of water) and chemicals needed to treat wastewater
 Facilitates home-grown food production
 Connects people to their yards
Sources : San Francisco Water Manual June 2012 Version and Christine Bertea of Greywater Action presentation

Grey Water Systems –
Government Regulation?
 In 2009, California revamped its greywater
codes. The new code allows simple
laundry to landscape systems without a
permit, but requires permits and
inspections for most greywater systems.
 Regulations vary across the US by state.
 If you’re not happy with the greywater
codes in your state, contact your
legislators about changing them!

To Permit or Not to Permit
You can install a graywater system for outdoor irrigation without a
permit if you meet all of the following requirements:
 Graywater comes from the washing machine only.
 Graywater system does not alter the household plumbing (you
access graywater from the hose of the machine, not by cutting
into the plumbing).
 Graywater system is for a one- or two-unit residential building.
Building
 Graywater system follows 12 guidelines set forth in the
California Plumbing Code (see Appendix B, “Operation and
Maintenance Manual for Laundry-to-Landscape Graywater
System”). Follow Laundry to Landscape O & M

Case Study – Laundry to Landscape

What do we need to Install?
Three Way Diverter Valve
Anti – Siphon Vent
Piping – PVC & HDPE
Mulch Basin
Valve Box

Thoughts about Piping – PVC&HDPE
PVC = Poly Vinyl Chloride
Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) piping is the
most widely used plastic piping material.
PVC piping systems are:
 Environmentally sound.
 Provide long service life.
 Easy to install and handle.
 Corrosion resistant.
 Cost effective.
Widely accepted by codes
HDPE = High Density Polyethylene
The number one characteristic that sets
HDPE apart from other pipe types is that it
can be made to be flexible.
This quality opens HDPE pipe up to a
different world of applications than rigid
pipe.

Thoughts about Piping – PVC&HDPE
Source: http://image11.photobiz.com/3907/20110424125559_113181.pdf
HDPE is
definitely more
sustainable
PVC issues with
process
and residuals

Mulch Basin
A type of irrigation or disposal field
filled with mulch...of sufficient depth,
length and width to prevent ponding or runoff
Mulch. Is an organic waste material including but not
limited to leaves, pruning's, straw, pulled weeds and wood
chips.
Permeable enough to allow rapid infiltration of greywater

What do we need to avoid with
our Grey Water System once installed?
Soap and Products
Salt (Sodium Compounds)
Boron (Borax)
Chlorine Bleach (H2O2 OK)
Recommended
Liquid detergent: Oasis
Soap Alternatives: Soap Nuts
Note:
Read Ingredients: Biodegradable Garden Friendly
Sodium common in fabric softeners and water softeners
Adapted from Christine Berthea Presentation

Ground Rules for our Grey Water
System once installed?
Adapted from Christine Berthea Presentation
Avoid contact with people or domestic animals
No above ground spraying or sprinkling
No surfacing ponding or runoff
No storing for more then 24 hours
Irrigation or disposal field may be Mulch basin
Discard point covered by 2” of mulch, gravel, soil or solid shield

.
.
Why Grey Water System ?
Source: www.fotolia.us
Source: www.dreamstime.com.
Concerned Bay Area Citizen Mother of Three – two
teenage kids with single home on San Francisco. 2
years ago it became obvious that we needed to
conserve water.
Came across the Laundry to Landscape (L-
to-L) program and attended class in the city of
San Francisco - gives you the materials but the
system has to be designed for your home.
In this case she planted a lemon tree and a lime
tree to produce fruit using Grey Water since in
San Francisco these are expensive.

. The Project
6-8 loads a week with an old type of top loading dryer
Her soil in her back yard is sandy, fruit trees
are Two feet in height
Needed to connect outlet in washer to soil in
yard where fruit tress would be planted
Mentioned that urban provides you a kit with the tools
in order to make installation easy

What was the hardest thing?
Source: www.wisgeek.com
Source: www.fotolia.us
Connecting the plumbing from the
outside of the house to the garden.
Hired a plumber to take the connection
from her dryer.
$300.00 and took him an
half an hour

Today/looking ahead
 Lemons a growing!!!!
 System installed for two months. No
maintenance requirements.
 The next job in her view should be
to convert the shower water to use
to flush the toilet
 3 way valve operated it once a
week (bleach). Otherwise all of the
water goes directly into the garden

Takeaways/Summary
1. Did I mention we need to Conserve
Water?
2. Grey Water system is achievable
help IS available
3. Parts are not expensive
4. Do not need to be technical to
install
What are you waiting for?

Final Thought…………………….
Good to the last drop?
Why take chances when all we need to do is
conserve?

Thank You!!!!!

Grey water systems presentation 6 18-2015 final

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