"Gray" Water

The average household of four uses up to 400 gallons of water every day, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. That is a staggering amount to think about when you realize most of it is simply used for washing your hands, dishes, taking a shower and wasted while brushing your teeth.

Now I'm probably as bad as the next person when it comes to leaving the water running while brushing my teeth, but when I stop and think about the millions of people that don't even have access to clean water I am hit with a hard slap in the face of the reality of my wastefullness.


It's amazing to me how often in this tough economy we complain about needing more and not having enough, but waste the small things on a daily basis. So the more I've thought about this I wanted to pass along some helpful information on not wasting water.

It's been called "Going Gray" and is a form of recyling the water that you normally waste and using it for other things. The wastewater generated by your sink, shower, washing machine and dishwater can cut utility bills while reducing a household's water footprint.

Gray water projects target the biggest water-wasters in the house-particularly bathroom showers and sinks, where a lot of gray water is generated (toilet water, known as "black water" is never to be reused). Some of that water can be recycled via an ingenious contraption called SinkPositive, a hand-washing station that sits atop the toilet tank. Soapy water, falls into the tank, whre it waits until the next time someone flushes the toilet. Then it does double duty, carrying away soap and toilet waste. The SinkPositive sells for $110 plus shipping.

One-third of a household's water, over 120 gallons per day, is used on lawns and gardens. To trim that figure, gardeners often use gray water on their lawnas and ornamental gardens (Young plans usually need fresh water, but once they mature, many can thrive on doses of gray water. Also don't use gray water on edible plants, due to bacteria that could be in it)

Also gray water irrigation can be as simple as placing a pitcher next to the sink and whenever someone doesn't finish a glass of water or cup of tea, dump it in the pitcher. By the end of the day, you'll have enough "leftover" water to keep the houseplants happy.




BY JENAE TANKERSLEY
(Resources: emagazine.com)