Posts Tagged ‘gray water’
The city of Chattanooga has it all, from the Tennessee River to eclectic dining to a lively art scene. But that’s not all the city has to offer. Chattanooga’s mayor, citizens and government officials have taken it upon themselves to move the city toward a more sustainable future by developing a Climate Action Plan.
The Chattanooga Climate Action Plan represents a year’s worth of research, public input and the collaborative brainstorming of many dedicated individuals. Completed in January 2009, the report recommends actions to lower Chattanooga’s carbon footprint.
As part of this plan, the City of Chattanooga has implemented various conservation measures to improve the city’s water quality and protect the city’s water quantity. And to prove their commitment, Chattanooga has already modified their plumbing code to allow gray water to be reused in toilets and landscape irrigation systems.
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?”
Yesterday a friend of mine sent this picture of a futuristic bathroom to me. As you can see, it’s a pretty nifty concept, but you don’t have to wait until 2027 to start reusing water. Brac is the future of gray water recycling—now.
Wow. Cool. What a great idea. It’s just common sense. These are just a few of the reactions we heard after telling people at the recent Southern Energy and Environment (S.E.E.) Expo that they can save between 35 and 40% off their water expenses by recycling gray water to flush the toilets.
To say that people were impressed with the amount of water they can save is an understatement. Folks were just plain giddy. Even the people who were living off of a river or a well were taken with the idea that our system helps prevent headaches with their septic tank.
Some people liked the Brac System because it can easily be retrofitted to their existing home. Others liked it because they are starting new construction and planning for the future. Whatever the reason people gathered around Max Thomas (left), they liked being shown firsthand how the RGW-250 works.
Why do you chlorinate the gray water? What happens if you run out of gray water? What happens if you have too much? Since we had the system within reaching distance, we were able to answer all of these questions and more, proving that our friends in Canada have thought of everything. And you know what they say: seeing is believing.
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.
