CHAPTER I

AN INTRODUCTION TO GREY WATER

Grey water is of lesser quality than portable water but of higher quality than black water. Water from baths, showers, washing machine, bathroom sinks are the sources of gray water. Grey water gets its name from its cloudy appearance and from its status as being neither fresh (white water from groundwater or potable water), nor heavily polluted (backwater) Grey water is most suitably used for surface irrigation of non edible landscapes plants. Grey water could supply most, if not all the irrigation needs of a domestic dwelling landscaped with vegetation of the region. Along with its application to outside irrigation, gray water can be used in some situations for toilets flushing. Grey water may contain food particles or soap residue, and possibly some human pathogens. But as a general rule, gray water does not require extensive chemical or biological treatment before being used for landscape irrigation. Grey water can be put to other uses. It is best to use gray water on ornamental plants and lawns, or to irrigate trees, rather than on food plants, especially those that are often eaten raw; such as carrots or lettuce or herbs. Soap and detergent are the components in gray water, which could adversely affect plants the most. The wastewater from the shower or lavatory sink generally contains only a small amount of soap, and has few solid residues. However, re-using water from a clothes washer may be much easier, from a plumbing standpoint. Special detergents can be purchased to lessen any harmful impacts on plants. The amount of water a household uses for interior exterior purpose determine to some 1

extent. The familys potential Grey water purposes determine to some extent the familys potential Grey water supply demand. The amount applied to interior exterior uses varies among different households. For examples, interior uses range between 100% to 200% of the total family water budget. About 60% to 65% of water applied to interior uses potentially can be recycled as Grey water. Grey water is household wastewater from our showers, baths, span, hand basins, laundry tubs, washing machines and dishwashers. Used appropriately, you can water your garden with Grey water and save around 400 liters of fresh water each day. Figures show that one Australian house can produce about 400 liters of Grey water a day, something like 40 percent of total use. But if this Grey water is used effectively, it can lead to considerable savings. Grey water can be diverted to your garden through direct diversion (gravity or pump diversion) or a domestic Grey water treatment system.

Important consideration with Grey water

1. Always refer to Local Council and Government requirements for guidelines relating to the use of Grey Water. 2. Make sure you get a licensed plumber to install your Grey water system. 3. Only use Grey water with watering systems that are under the soil surface. 4. Untreated Grey water is best diverted from the bath, shower and laundry rinse cycle only.

5.

Treated Grey water has had most nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus removed, so its safer to use in large quantities.

6.

You may need to cut back on the amount of fertilizer you use when using untreated Grey water on your garden.

7.

Avoid using Grey water on vegetable gardens if youre going to eat the vegetables raw or lightly cooked.

8.

Keep an eye on how your plants react when you start using Grey water, and consult your nursery if you notice any changes.

9.

Using Grey water is just one of many ways to save water in your home and garden.

10. The biggest problem with laundry Grey water is the sodium in detergents. Highly salty water can be a big problem. You may need to change the products you use and be more careful about what goes down the drain especially laundry detergents and cleaning agents.

Necessity
It is a waste to irrigate with great quantities of drinking water plants thrive on used water containing small bits of compost. Unlike a lot of ecological stoppage measures, gray water reuse is a part of fundamental solution to many ecological problems will probably remains essentially unchanged in the distant future. Gray water harvesting reduces the need for imported irrigation water from the Sierras, the Delta, underground aquifers, and other sources. This conserves water for fisheries, wildlife, agriculture, and essential human needs and reduces your water bill. Gray water harvesting saves energy associated with delivering water from distant reservoirs and treating it to drinking water standards. It saves even more energy by avoiding the 3

need to treat it prior to discharge. Energy savings translate into reduced air pollution from power plants.

BENEFITS
1 Lower Fresh Water Use: Gray water can replace fresh water in many instances, saving money & increasing the effective water supply in regions where irrigation needed. Residential water used is almost evenly split between indoor & outdoor. All except toilet water could be recycled outdoors, achieving the same result with significantly less water diverted from nature. 2 Less strain on septic tank or treatment plant: Gray water use greatly extends the useful life & capacity of septic system. For municipal treatment systems, decreased wastewater flow means higher treatment effectiveness & lower cost. 3 Highly effective purification: Gray water purified to a

spectacularly high degree in the upper, most biologically active region of the soil. This protects the quality of natural surface ground waters. 4 Site unstable for septic tanks: For sites with slow soil percolation or other problems, a gray water system can be partial or complete subsitute for very costly, over engineered system. 5 Less energy chemical use: Less energy chemical are used due to reduced amount of both freshwater & wastewater that needs pumping treatments. For those providing their own water or electricity, the advantage of a reduced burden on the infrastructure is felt directly, Also treating waste water in the soil under fruits trees definitely encourages to damp fewer toxic chemicals down the drain.

6 Ground Water Recharge: Gray water applications in excess of plants needs recharges ground water. 7 Plant Growth: Gray water enables landscapes to flourish where may not otherwise be available to support much plant growth. 8 Reclamation of Otherwise Wasted Nutrients: Loss of nutrients through wastewater disposal in rivers or oceans is a subtle, but highly significant from of erosion. Reclaiming nutrients in gray water helps to maintain the fertility of the land.

Disadvantages of using Grey water

The disadvantages of Grey water reuse may include : 1. The potential for pollution and undesirable health and

environmental effects if the Grey water is not reused correctly. 2. 3. Initial cost of a Grey water system and plumbing requirements. Ongoing maintenance

Ways to reuse Grey water

There are three ways of reusing Grey water : 1. Manual bucketing small quantities of Grey water are captured in a bucket for re-use outside on gardens or lawns. No council approval required. 2. Diversion Grey water diversion devices redirect Grey water for use outside the home on gardens or lawns using sub-surface irrigation. No council approval required under certain conditions. Needs a plumber to install.

3.

Treatment Grey water treatment systems for reuse inside the home (e.g., toilet flushing, washing machine) as well as outside on gardens or lawns. Council approval is required. Needs a plumber to install.

CHAPTER - II

RECYCLING OF GREY WATER

First, lets take a quick look at why its important to even care about the benefits or something like Grey water recycling. With water being so easily accessible in our homes today its easy to forget about conservation and why we should care about something like reusing Grey water within our homes. However, although water is very easily accessible for many people around the world, its not so easily accessible for a very large number of people. According to WHO/UNICEF 2005, over 1.1 billion people (yes thats BILLION) do not have access to safe drinking water. Hard to believe isnt it? Something that we sometimes take for granted and is one of the most precious resources for sustaining life is clearly not taken for granted all over the world. And to think, we use drinking water to flush our toilets. Closer to home (for those of us in N.A.) we should also consider a few more facts about water. Even though approximately 70% of the world is covered with water only 2.5% of that water is actually fresh water. Fresh water is the water that is suitable for drinking and bathing etc. Of that 2.5% of Fresh water more than 1.5% of it is locked in glaciers which leave less than 1% of the water in the world accessible through lakes, streams, rivers and ground water sources.

1.50%

1%

Salt Water Glacial Fresh Water Accessible Fresh Water 97.50%

In N. A. the Great Lakes supply water to more than 33 million people (approx. 9 million Canadians and 24 million Americans) Yet only 1% of the waters of the great lakes are replenished each year by rain and snow melt. Consider also the fact that the without water there is no life, human or otherwise, and it should be quite clear that water, and the responsible use of water, should be on everyones mind, and the responsible use of water, should be on everyones mind, Think about this. An average family of 4 uses between 45000 and 62000 liters of water a year to flush toilets. According to the UN Water for Life initiative, in a developing country 20-30 liters of water per day is sufficient to address basic human needs. So, the water used by a family of 4 to flush toilets over the course of 1 year would be enough water to address the needs of about 8 people for 1 year in a developing country. Think about that for minute.. Most Grey water are much easier to treat and recycle than backwaters, due to their lower levels of contamination. However, entirely untreated Greywater is still considered to be a potential health and pollution hazard, because studies have established the presence of the same micro-organisms within Greywater as found in sewage (albeit in much lower concentrations). Nevertheless, while all Grey water will contain micro-organisms the health hazards associated with Grey water from a 8

multiple dwelling source should be considered different from that of a single dwelling Grey water source. Within single dwellings inhabitants and their clothing are mutually exposed to each others Greywater and their shared living arrangements will likewise expose them to the existing reservoir of micro-organisms within the dwelling, whereas Greywater from multiple dwelling sources provides scope for exposure to a broader reservoir of micro-organisms thus increasing the risk of disease spread between dwelling unit inhabitants. If collected using a separate plumbing system to backwater, domestic Grey water can be recycled directly within the home, garden or agricultural company and used either immediately or processed and stored. Recycled Greywater of this kind is never clean enough to drink, but a number of stages of filtration and microbial digestion can be used to provide water for washing or flushing toilets; relatively clean Grey water may be applied directly from the sink to the garden or container field, as it receives high level treatment from soil and plant roots. Given that Greywater may contain nutrients (e.g. from food, fertilizer, .), pathogens (e.g. from your skin), and is often discharged warms, it is very important not to store it before using it for irrigation purposes, unless it is treated first.

Saving Water though Grey Water Recycling

One of the biggest benefits of using Grey water is the reduction in water demand from your municipality, well or whatever water supply you draw water from. The Whole concept behind Grey water use is to reuse water that was already used once for bathing or washing your clothes and to use it again for applications that dont require potable (suitable for drinking) water. There are other applications for Grey

water that go even further by using more advanced treatment technologies that can essentially return your Grey water to potable water quality but well focus here on the simplest approaches for now. By using your Grey water for applications that dont require potable quality water you essentially get twice the value out of the water you bring into your home/business. This means, for example, that instead of using 50 liters a day to shower and 40 liters a day to flush your toilets, you can use 50 liters a day to shower, and then use that water again to flush your toilets. Grey water can also be used, providing local by laws and regulations permit (and please always check this first and follow the building codes in your area), for irrigation of no edible plants and vegetation. Why not ? There is only a little bit of soap residue in typical bathing water and if you use environmentally friendly products the contaminants are even less. Why not use that water for shrubs, trees or plants instead of using drinking water.

Reducing Sewage/Septic Flows through Grey Water Recycling One of the other benefits of a Grey water recycling system is that not only can it reduce your water supply demand but since you are reusing the water for more than one application you will also recognize a reduction in sewage/ Septic wastewater. This might not seem important to you but if you have a septic system and you can reduce the load on that system it may mean added years of service and ultimately savings in your pocket. It you dont have a septic system you may think that there really isnt any benefit to you. Well, most areas not only charge you for the water you use, but they also charge you for the sewage you generate. So, by reducing your water usage, and subsequently reducing your sewage you are saving money too. In 10

addition, although this may not be a direct benefit that you can see on your monthly bill today, the more people who reduce their water usage, the less water that needs to be treated by the municipal water treatment facilities. This in turn may help to control or minimize future expansion, which keeps municipal costs down. Ultimately, keeping these costs down benefits everyone as they are either realized through increases in water rates, or property taxes.

CHAPTER III

TYPES OF SYSTEMS
There is a range of options in sub-surface systems that can respond to the different factors listed above. The following are not the only options, as qualified engineers can design systems specific to unique circumstances. The systems mentioned herein,

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again, do not assure automatic approval by virtue of being listed. Case-by-case, site-specific approval is always needed. It is important to note that all these systems should have vegetative cover specified on the plan to cover the drain field area. All plans should specify erosion control procedures to prevent loss of top soil during the vegetation establishment period. Innovative or experimental systems will require property owners to submit a letter stating they know the system is experimental. In the event of property sale, the new owner must be informed about the experimental nature of the system. Each plan must have an Operation and Maintenance Manual, one to attach to the permit submittal and one for the owner.

Evapotranspiration (ET) Systems

This system combines the process of evaporation and

transpiration to utilize and dispose of wastewater. (Transpiration is the process whereby plants take in water through the toots, and convert it to vapor which is given off through the leaves.) A typical evapotranspiration system consists of a septic tank for pretreatment (removal of solids) followed by distribution into a shallow sand bed covered with vegetation. The Grey water (wastewater from baths, showers, laundry and lavatory sinks) flows from the house through the septic tank and into the evapotranspiration bed. They Grey water is distributed through perforated pipes. Once in the sand, Grey water is taken into the plant root system. Underneath the bed is either a plastic lining or very impermeable soil which prevents they Grey Water from seeping into the ground. Black water (wastewater from 12

toilets and kitchen sinks) flows into a sewer line or an alternative treatment. There are special variations on this approach such as rock/plant systems that offer distinct advantages where the Grey water movement and use needs to be highly controlled. These alternative systems can be used as a pre-filtering device. These filters can be thought of as constructed wetlands that use living beds of marsh plants combined with gravel to break down wastewater pollutants that become food for the plants. Canal lilies, iris, ginger lily, elephant ears, and cattails have been used with these types of systems. Trenches are lined with PVC liner and filled with 1 to 1 inches of river gravel and topped with 6 inches of pea gravel. Plants are planted directly in the gravel, so no soil is used. An average two bedroom house requires about 210 square feet of trench, or a 3 foot x 70 foot trench. Maintenance involves cutting away dead leaves and plant stems seasonally.

Shallow Trench
In this system, Grey water flows from the house through pretreatment and is piped into shallow trenches (pipe placed 8 inches deep) These pipes are placed close enough to the surface to feed the plant roots. The distinction between a conventional septic tank systems and a shallow trench subsurface landscape irrigation system occurs in the absorption field design.

Shallow Mound

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The shallow mound uses an elevated absorption field for disposal of wastewater. For irrigation, a shallow layer of sand fill and top soil is placed over existing soil. This technique is usually done when existing soil is unsuitable for wastewater disposal. Pipes are placed near the root zone to provide irrigation.

The Shallow Mound system will require pumping of the Grey water to function properly.

CHAPTER IV
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SYSTEM COSTS
Installation costs for Grey water system which are used in developed nations can range from several 100$ to more than 5000$. Table below compares the cost of installing various Grey water systems. Note, however, that a fully automated do it yourself system became available for under 1000$. Table itemizes the cost, for each components of the Grey water system, which are in common use. Cost also depends on whether the system is going into an existing or new dwelling and whether the dwelling has raised or slab foundation. Costs are existing dwelling with slab foundations. In fact, it is so expensive to install a complete Grey water system in an existing home with a slab foundation that only effluent from the washing machine should be considered in the situation.

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Types of Systems Currently Available

Types of Systems Currently Available System Type Low technology Or professional Installation Source of Grey Water Washing machine only 200 micron mesh filter 55 gal garbage Can w/locking Lid Medium-tech Uses all Grey Water sources Sump pump to PVC tubing sub Surface drip Irrigation 200 Micron meshes Filter (2) 55 gal Storage tank Fully Automated Uses all Grey water sources Automatically back-washed Sand filters 250 Gal storage Tanks. Pumps At both sources And tank/filter 3-way value, Black flow Prevents Microprocessor Control all flows Backed by Potable water $ 5000 $ 2500 $ 1500 $ 1000 $ 800 $ 400 Features Cost in $

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Why Irrigate with Grey Water?

Grey water comes from the bathroom, laundry and kitchen. Whilst Grey water does not contain toilet waste it nevertheless generally contains the same pathogenic micro-organisms (though in much lower numbers) just from washing your hands, bathing and washing soiled clothing. Therefore, health authorities recommend caution when reusing Grey water. The best means of addressing their concerns, without use of expensive and often un-reliable treatment and disinfections technologies is simply to irrigate Grey water below the ground surface to avoid un-necessary human contact. Whilst Grey water will always contain some micro-organisms the health hazards from a multi dwelling Grey water source are significantly greater than from a single dwelling Grey water source. This is because within a single dwelling setting inhabitants already have intimate exposure to the same Grey water whilst bathing and washing and essentially to their existing family units reservoir of micro-organisms, whereas exposure to Grey water from multi dwelling sources has potential to expose an individual to micro-organisms not already present within their family unit and there a greater potential for spread of disease. Grey water contains traces of oils, fats, detergents, soaps, nutrients, salt and particles of food hair and lind etc that can quickly clog a Grey water subsurface irrigation system. Whilst Grey water from the kitchen contributes least to the total Grey water volume it accounts for the bulk of fats, oils and food particles, which are the primary components that cause this clogging. In contrast, Grey water from the bathroom and laundry account for the majority of the Grey water stream but generally contribute little of the components that cause clogging and therefore generally requires only removal of suspended particles such

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as lint and hair. For this reason most states only consider Grey water from the laundry and bathroom as suitable for diversion for irrigation.

Grey Water and Plants

Grey water contains contaminants, which vary in their effect from beneficial to detrimental for irrigation of plants. These contaminants include nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium, which in most cases are beneficial to plants, except for a small number of native plants that have a unique low phosphorous or nutrient tolerance from having evolved and developed in marginal nutrient depleted soils. Grey water also generally has a slightly alkaline pH making it preferable not to use Grey water a irrigate acid loving plants, unless the pH is managed, by digging soil conditioners such as peat or compost into the soil. Suitable plants and soil coeditors should be discussed with your local gardening center.

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CHAPTER V

CONCULUSION
To say about Grey water over 85% of the people dont even know the meaning of Grey water. So to create awareness among the people this type of schemes must be promoted on larger scale by the government in the areas where scarcity of water is a regular problem and droughts are common. One answer of implementation of this scheme lies in the ability of society to develop the beneficial uses of such schemes. Over 20 to 25% of the water is used for gardening and if this % of water is saved every day than there will be merely very less problem of scarcity of water. From future point of view Grey water harvesting can be implemented on a larger scale. This type of schemes are implemented in America and they are successful to a larger extend. The studies show that Grey water is appropriate wherever supplemented irrigation is normally required and it can be a temporary used as a drought measure. The feasibility report on our institutes premises gives the idea that this type of systems can be implemented in our institute premises and as per the report the excess purified water can be used in many purposes like washing toilets, floors, sprinkling on roads and many other ways. In this way many things can be said and done.

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The next step will be to put these ideas into action by initiating a systematic program to determine the viability and long term performances of these schemes.

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