Gray water: from the washer to the garden

From the Los Angeles Times:

I was never more excited to do laundry, and it wasn’t because my son and I were running out of clean underwear. I had just installed a system to divert gray water from my washing machine to my xeriscaped frontyard, and I was anxious about whether the $312 and two days I’d spent installing it would pay off.

Considering all the money and political squabbling that goes into getting water to this desert metropolis, it seems silly not to recycle water once it’s here. Especially now. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa are telling us to conserve, which I do. I was still using 253 gallons at my home each day, according to my latest Department of Water and Power bill. I just wanted to use less, and recycling my gray water was one way to do it.

Gray water is the wastewater generated from sinks, showers, bathtubs and laundry machines. All of it could be used to irrigate plants but, instead, is drained to the sewer in Los Angeles County, where it’s treated and, for the most part, sent into the Pacific.

In L.A., about 40% of the water used at home is for outdoor irrigation, according to the DWP. The rest is used indoors. In theory, that meant I could get all the water for my landscape from what I was already using inside. I also would be saving money and doing my minuscule part to save the state.

Read more from the Los Angeles Times by clicking here.

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