While yesterday’s post looked backwards, today’s post will examine South Carolina’s present situation in regards to gray water recycling. As I mentioned when I kicked off this little three-part adventure, the meeting at our local DHEC office last week was paramount in my understanding of South Carolina’s current position on gray water.

One key detail that was gleaned from the meeting was that DHEC’s involvement only comes in where the gray water goes out.

In other words, DHEC is the governing body that approves projects where gray water is applied via drip irrigation systems. If gray water is being recycled only to flush the building’s toilets, the responsibility falls on the local building code inspector. More on that a little later.

For now, let’s focus on irrigation. Most people already know that you should not use gray water on anything edible, but it’s worth repeating. Despite the filtration process and the disinfection by chlorine, there are still microorganisms in your gray water, so it’s nothing you would want to spray on your award-winning fruits and veggies.

If you are planning to use gray water to irrigate, you should also know that you, your homebuilder, architect or engineer—someone—may need to submit an application to DHEC for a permit, explaining exactly how the gray water will be used. Until proper laws are put in place permitting state-wide gray water usage, each permit will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Without endorsing any particular system, the officials from DHEC agreed that proving that you are saving between 35 and 40% on water is a giant step in the right direction. For that reason, your permit is likely to be viewed favorably, provided that you are following the International Plumbing Code—which brings me to my next point.

If the recycled gray water is only being used to flush the building’s toilet, your local building code inspector is the one who approves the usage. And guess what? Gray water recycling has already been approved by the International Plumbing Code (Appendix C). Sure, having a few gray water specifications added to local building codes wouldn’t hurt, but ultimately the International Plumbing Code reigns supreme (along with a little common sense).

So here’s the million-dollar question: what are the Palmetto State’s present challenges? Without undertaking any kind of formal study, I would say that one of our greatest challenges is communication.

In order to advance gray water recycling, we need to reach out to everyone. Grassroots organizations, conservation groups, legislators, architects, engineers, land developers, homebuilders, plumbers, planning commissions and government at every level—these people need to hear about the benefits of recycling gray water because ultimately they are the ones who will change the way we use water.

We need a multi-faceted approach to water conservation, and gray water recycling must be an integral part of the plan. Rainwater harvesting, low-flush toilets, high-efficiency fixtures, pervious pavement—all of these are viable options to help us use water wisely. And that’s an important point to remember because, whether we like it or not, all options will eventually be on the table.

Tomorrow I will bring the series to a close by looking at South Carolina’s future, where we are going with gray water and how we can get there together. Until then, feel free to share the love by passing this article along to a friend with the handy buttons below.