Last updated on November 14th, 2022 at 08:18 am
California has been dealing with droughts for years now. The latest one is also not showing any signs of slowing down. So, residents are asked to follow outdoor watering restrictions. Also, there are countless urgent calls from state officials to reduce water use. Even the suppliers are facing cuts due to reduced supply.
Many believe these circumstances will lead to dead plants, brown shrubs, and even shorter showers. This could be the reality if we didn’t have a solution already. The perfect answer to how Californians can cut their water use is to depend on greywater systems. It is a relatively inexpensive solution that is gaining interest but hasn’t got the limelight it deserves.
How it Works
The working of a greywater system is pretty easy. It takes from drained from showers, sinks, or laundry machines and repurposes it to let people use it for irrigating parts of their landscapes. The simplest systems can be installed within a few minutes and can start giving results instantly. The investment, according to experts, is worth it because it leads to quick water bill savings.
Is the Technology New?
No, greywater systems have been around for decades. So, it’s not new in any sense. Experts believe that in a state like California, where droughts are so common, there is no statewide incentive for people to install such systems that can help save thousands of gallons of water every year for a family of four.
Lack of Incentives
In the words of Newsha Ajami, a water expert at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory who had served on the Bay Area Regional Water Quality Control Board, “There is no real blanket guideline available right now, and there are not a lot of incentives out there either to get people to do this.”
Even on the local level, the incentives are not lucrative. Some counties like Santa Clara County and San Francisco offer rebates, but several other counties and water districts offer no incentives.
Rising Residential Water Consumption
According to the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, landscape irrigation accounts for about 50% of annual residential water consumption in the entire state.
Experts believe that in cases of drought, the water can be used better. Justin Burks, a water conservation specialist at Valley Water, said, “Our plants don’t need drinking water.”
Success Stories
A 2012 study by Greywater Action, a Bay Area-based advocacy group, revealed that homes in Bay Area and Monterey County that installed greywater systems reduced their per-capita daily water consumption by an average of 17 gallons. It might mean an average household savings of about 14,500 gallons per year.
Other Vital Benefits of Greywater Systems
Another vital benefit of using greywater is that people can continue to grow trees and plants in their yards. It offers food and shade along with supporting wildlife. In essence, Greywater systems save both water and money. It can also be beneficial for life in backyards.
A study conducted in 2012, Greywater Action 2012, looked at 83 greywater systems in San Francisco and the Monterey Bay area. It unveiled that the systems did not affect boron, salinity, or other nutrient levels compared to soils that hadn’t been irrigated with greywater.
In a master’s thesis for San Jose State in 2021, water researcher Sara Khosrowshahi Asl found that greywater did not negatively impact soil quality. For systems that had been in place longer, the soil quality improved, and the number of newly built-up nutrients rose.
Khosrowshahi Asl stated the most successful greywater efforts employ biodegradable or greywater-friendly detergent. Most people used it. She said, “You don’t need to add fertilizers anymore. Just the detergent itself and the things that are in the clothes add the nutrients to the soil.”
History of Greywater Systems
Greywater reuse was illegal in California for many years because people considered it the same as blackwater, which is essentially the wastewater from toilets.
The change started in the 1990s when California legally changed the plumbing code to allow greywater reuse. However, there were still several restrictions on what that could look like.
In 2009, California allowed the installation of simpler greywater systems without a permit so long as certain requirements were met. It included easy-to-use systems like the laundry-to-landscape model. These systems were made more accessible, said Laura Allen, a founding member of Greywater Action who has been working on the issue for decades.
Lack of Knowledge is Evident
A lack of knowledge is one of the core reasons why more Californians and people worldwide are not using greywater systems. They don’t even know that it’s an option. Greywater systems are more inconspicuous as compared to solar panels visible on roofs. So, most people don’t discuss them with their neighbors.
When more people know about greywater treatment systems and use the same, it will increase awareness. More marketing efforts from brands like AMPAC USA can also help.
Trust Greywater Treatment Systems from AMPAC USA
If you want to try grey water treatment systems, you can trust AMPAC USA. AMPAC USA’s Grey Water Treatment Systems are fully equipped with automatic turnkey systems that run on an advanced reverse osmosis process. These come with inbuilt with pre and post-treatment systems made from the best international manufacturing practices.
Grey Water treatment systems are always customized according to each client as the reject wastewater is different for every location. Out experts then design a specific product that fits the need and provides a comprehensive water treatment solution.
AMPAC USA’s specialized Grey Water treatment system line is reliable, sturdy, and has good structural strength. These can purify thousands of gallons of reject water to produce reusable water.
Every purchase of this system comes with a free location delivery, installation, manufacturer’s warranty, and 24×7 after-sales customer support. Learn more about these products by contacting AMPAC USA at (909) 548 4900 or clicking here. We are always happy to guide you through the purchase process and offer options that meet your needs. Contact today!
Reference:
https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/California-drought-water-greywater-17293699.php
