Gray water is the waste water from showers, tubs, sinks, and washing machines that usually goes down the drain for processing at a sewage treatment plant. While you wouldn’t want to drink it, when properly treated, gray water can be used to irrigate your lawn, shrubs, and other nonedible plants.
Watch this video to find out more.
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
If someone were to give you this glass of water, how would you react? Sure, it looks pretty disgusting, and I know I wouldn’t drink it, but pouring it down the drain would be nothing short of a green crime.
This is the kind of waste water that comes from your shower, bath and laundry. It’s called gray water and it represents up to 80% of the waste water in your home. Reusing this water for irrigation is one of the smartest things you can do.
There are about 8,000,000 gray water systems in use right now in the U.S. and, even though some people have expressed concern over the heath issues of using gray water in irrigation, there’s never been any recorded illness related to them in the past 60 years.
To play it safe, never water edible plants with gray water. And, as with most technology, newer more efficient systems are being developed. So if you want to think green, think gray, too!
Further Information
- Graywater Filtration System Conserves Water (video)
- Water Conservation in the Home (article)
- How to Conserve Water in Your Home (video)
