Gray Goes With Green
The integration of graywater and rainwater systems with structures is a growing trend in the global effort to maintain adequate supplies and sources of fresh water.
In the earning of credits toward the LEED Green Building Rating System, sustainable water management counts big.
This is because the use of water requires energy.
The less water used and the less energy utilized to produce and treat that water, the more green credits are earned.
Graywater is all of the water discharged from a structure that is not from the toilet or garbage disposal (commonly referred to as blackwater).
Some jurisdictions also classify discharge from washing machines as blackwater because diapers and other fabrics could contribute at least trace amounts of sanitation waste.
Rainwater is different from graywater in that it has different contaminants and requires less treatment to be considered safe for reuse as recycled water.
Adding rainwater to graywater is also becoming a trend.
To the extent that a given structure or group of structures recycle water and treat it to the level required for its intended use there is a savings of treated water being delivered.
To the extent that water is put back into the earth in non-destructive quality the water supply is helped.
For example, during a one-inch rain, 630 gallons of water can be collected per 1,000 square feet of surface.
The surface could be a roof or a parking lot.
When the water is not collected it is treated as waste, contributing to the woes involved with stormwater runoff, carrying that water away from the groundwater supply that needs it and eventually out to sea.
When it is treated with graywater and reused, it reduces the amount of water consumed.
When it is used for irrigation it reduces the amount of water that would otherwise be taken from existing water supplies.
You will be staying ahead of the curve when you go Green in selection of materials, location of structure, design and choice of systems (heating, cooling, electrical, water, plumbing, waste disposal) that manage energy wisely.
Be sure to consider and explore the use of graywater systems as one of those important choices.
In the earning of credits toward the LEED Green Building Rating System, sustainable water management counts big.
This is because the use of water requires energy.
The less water used and the less energy utilized to produce and treat that water, the more green credits are earned.
Graywater is all of the water discharged from a structure that is not from the toilet or garbage disposal (commonly referred to as blackwater).
Some jurisdictions also classify discharge from washing machines as blackwater because diapers and other fabrics could contribute at least trace amounts of sanitation waste.
Rainwater is different from graywater in that it has different contaminants and requires less treatment to be considered safe for reuse as recycled water.
Adding rainwater to graywater is also becoming a trend.
To the extent that a given structure or group of structures recycle water and treat it to the level required for its intended use there is a savings of treated water being delivered.
To the extent that water is put back into the earth in non-destructive quality the water supply is helped.
For example, during a one-inch rain, 630 gallons of water can be collected per 1,000 square feet of surface.
The surface could be a roof or a parking lot.
When the water is not collected it is treated as waste, contributing to the woes involved with stormwater runoff, carrying that water away from the groundwater supply that needs it and eventually out to sea.
When it is treated with graywater and reused, it reduces the amount of water consumed.
When it is used for irrigation it reduces the amount of water that would otherwise be taken from existing water supplies.
You will be staying ahead of the curve when you go Green in selection of materials, location of structure, design and choice of systems (heating, cooling, electrical, water, plumbing, waste disposal) that manage energy wisely.
Be sure to consider and explore the use of graywater systems as one of those important choices.
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