Water
Go the Extra Mile - Implement a Graywater System
Are you geared up to consider a
gray water system in your school?
First, consider what you might use it for and how those uses could affect your water bill. For a guide on what graywater can be used for, check out
this page by New Mexico State University.
Second, look at the water utility’s rules, and the town or city’s laws for graywater systems. Some local governments don’t allow graywater systems or don’t even have a policy in place for them. But, you can often change this by inquiring about why the systems are not allowed. For example, the City of Los Angeles re-examined their policies after
citizens spoke up.
In cases where graywater systems are allowed, there are often certain restrictions that need to be applied. It’s best to check the local laws so that you know what kinds of buildings are allowed to use graywater systems, what the water can be used for, and what it needs to be treated with.
To get started, read
this overview of all that’s entailed in considering a graywater system.
Then, these websites can help you do more research…
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Graywater systems inspire us to be more mindful about what we normally just wash down the drain. In a graywater system, what goes down the drain could come back to haunt you or your landscape. It’s a great opportunity for us to be active thinkers about how the products we buy can affect our ecosystem and ourselves. For example, if your graywater system helps to water your landscape, you probably shouldn’t use phosphate-containing soaps or detergents. Click here to read about the effect too much phosphorous has on the environment.
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