Lookout, Jon Bon Jovi. Move over, Meryl Streep. GreenLink Water Solutions recently made an appearance in New Jersey, not really on the turnpike but on the information super highway (people still refer to the Internet that way, right?).
While researching gray water projects a few weeks ago, I came across a reference to yours truly on NorthJersey.com. This article addresses a question that everyone seems to be asking these days: “What Is Gray Water Recycling?”
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
PEQUANNOCK/KINNELON — Although we’ve just experienced the sixth wettest June and the 18th coolest July since 1895, according to the Office of the State Climatologist, many of us remember a time in the not-so-distant past when we could only water our lawns and gardens on alternating days, depending upon which side of the street we lived on: odd, or even.
Despite this summer’s evidence to the contrary, global warming is still an important issue. According to state’s Web site,
Recent modeling work predicts that temperatures in the Northeast U.S. are likely to rise 2.5 to 4 degrees in the winter and 1 to 3 degrees in the summer over the next several decades. Without significant long-term reductions in GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions, the model predicts that the Northeast can expect many more extremely hot days and more events of extreme rainfall, especially in winter. Although there is likely to be more precipitation overall, the likelihood of summer droughts will increase, because the higher temperatures will dry soils faster; one-to-three-month droughts could happen almost every year by the end of the century.”
Our increased awareness of the environment and our impact on it – as well as the potential undesirable consequences if we don’t change – has led to an influx of new technologies, catch-phrases and systems all designed to reduce our “footprint” on the planet.
One such system is something known as “gray water recycling.” According to umassgreeninfo.org, “Gray water is all the non-toilet waste water produced in the average household including the water from bathtubs, showers, sinks, washing machines and dishwashers.”
The idea behind a gray water recycling system: water is collected separately from the toilet water, and either used for landscape irrigation or diverted to the toilet tank for use in flushing the toilet.
After all, according to graywater.net, “Dish, shower, sink and laundry water comprise 50 to 80 percent of residential ‘waste’ water.”
Web site drinktap.org cites that the average household uses 69.3 gallons of water daily, so recycling 50 to 80 percent of that would save anywhere from 34.7 and 55.4 gallons of water daily—an annual savings of over 12,000 gallons of water.
Additional benefits of gray water recycling for irrigation include lower fresh water use, less strain on failing septic tanks and treatment plants, less energy and chemical use.
But there are a few minor problems with gray water recycling that might give homeowners pause. According to Mark Volpe, owner of Volpe Plumbing and Heating in Pompton Plains, for an existing house to incorporate a gray water recycling system “you’d have to completely re-pipe the whole house. It just wouldn’t pay for itself.”
A new home being built is a different story, but even then, Volpe says, he’s not seeing many such systems.
Web site greenlinkwater.com concedes that “it’s true that retrofitting a gray water system might not make sense for many homeowners, but that doesn’t mean that gray water recycling can’t be applied to other settings, especially commercial applications. If you are the owner of a large-scale building where showers and toilets are being used constantly, retrofitting a gray water system might be more practical (and more cost-effective) than you think.”
There is one commercial application where gray water recycling is not only widely used but is often a factor in attracting customers: the local car wash.
According to howstuffworks.com, “washing your car at home typically uses between 80 and 140 gallons of water while a car-wash facility (without a high-pressure wash) averages less than 45 gallons per car. In addition, all of the chemicals and detergents are washed into the sewer when you wash your car at home, but a car-wash facility must dispose of the waste in accordance with local regulations. This means that washing your car at a car-wash facility is usually better for the environment.”
Route 23 Car & Van Wash in Kinnelon beats even those statistics. It uses “only 6 to 15 gallons of water (per car) and the waste water is treated and reused.”
via NorthJersey.com: What is gray water recycling?.
