Greywater System

Greywater, according to Wikipedia, is "generally accepted as being waste water generated from wash hand basins, showers and baths, which can be recycled on-site for uses such as WC flushing, landscape irrigation and constructed wetlands. Greywater often excludes discharge from *laundry, dishwashers and kitchen sinks due to the high nutrient levels. It differs from the discharge of WC's (bathrooms) which is designated sewage or blackwater to indicate it contains human waste." *We have heard that some implementations include laundry water, and we considered including it ourselves before opting not to as we already had enough water from tubs/showers.

Greywater recycling has long-standing use in many parts of the world, but is prohibited in many US states, generally for (perceived) public health reasons. One interesting project that incorporates greywater reuse is Frank Lloyd Wright's FallingWater in Mill Run, PA.

During our renovation, we wanted to do whatever we could, beyond installing low-flow and high efficiency plumbing fixtures (and being conscious of our household water consumption), to conserve water. On that note, we attended a conference in Fall of 2011 where greywater (and its potential future uses) was discussed by Josh Ellis of the Metropolitan Planning Council. MPC works on water supply issues, among other sustainable community programs. As of that presentation, the notion of installing some sort of greywater recycling system in our home was of immediate interest.

Our greywater system is the first in Oak Park, and the third in the State of IL. When we embarked upon the installation of the system, greywater recycling was against IL plumbing code. Long story short, we assertively (!) petitioned the State and eventually, happily won a plumbing code variance which would allow us to operate outside the existing code and install a 66-gallon tank (obtained from Kevin Yoder/Nuvale Products in Elkhart, Indiana) that would capture water from tubs and showers, nominally clean it (filter and mildly chlorinate), and send it back to toilets for use in flushing.

Currently, the average American home uses about 27% of its indoor water in flushing toilets, and of course there is no real reason to utilize completely potable water for such a task (which is the standard today). To keep things "safe," in our home, pipes carrying greywater have been painted purple; pipes carrying clean/potable water remain white.

There is legislation pending (IL Bill HB4496) that establishes a timeline for updating IL plumbing codes to allow for residential greywater use, as well as for subsurface irrigation. To keep up with the status of the Bill, see here.

• 27%: The greywater reuse system is expected to cut our family’s indoor water consumption by 27 percent.
• $2,000: The approximate materials cost for the greywater reuse system, which will pay for itself over its lifetime.
• 38,000: The volume of reusable water, in gallons, an average household sends down the drain from showers and laundry each year.

Our greywater tank, lovingly called 
"Nerbert" by our 3 children.