Grey water is defined as water that is not fit to drink, but doesn’t contain any solid or toxic waste.  Lets talk about how much Grey Water a typical house hold sends to the Sewage Plant.  First on the list is a 5 minute shower.  According to Answer.com a 5 minute shower can flush 7-8 gallons of water down the drain with a low-flow shower head or up to 20 gallons with an older shower head.  If you have an Energy Star Dishwasher you send 5.8 gallons down the drain every cycle your washer runs.  For most houses that will end up being at least 11.6 gallons a day.  You know how that dirty clothes bin never seems to be empty right?  Every load of laundry you wash could be sending as much as 80 gallons a day to the Sewage Plant according to eHOW.  For the average American household that is just under 100 Gallons of water a day at least 5 days a week.  Do you think your lawn and or small garden need more than 100 Gallons of water a day?  I don’t think they will. 

        This water is carrying soaps and detergents to the Sewage Plant where it kills the bacteria that breaks down our solid waste.  This causes the Plant to not operate efficiently, and dump less than pure water back into the water system.  Now when we pull water out of our rivers and lakes for drinking, we have to treat the water with harsh chemicals like Chlorine to kill bacteria and other contaminants.  This feeds a harsh cycle of pollute and treat.  If our houses were equipped to handle Grey Water in a sustainable way, then we could help break this cycle and have a lawn that was greener and cost less green.  Next time you build a house or you need to replace the pluming, make sure you install a Grey Water system to Green up your home.  Till next time.

Keep it Green

JP