Water Neutral Gardens The Greywater Component

Transcription

1 Water Neutral Gardens The Greywater Component With acknowledgement to: LeAnne Ravinale Love s Gardens Greywater Action Oasis Design Ecology Action Transition Santa Cruz

2 Just as water is the foundation of life it must also be the foundation of design of the built environment. -- Betsy Damon founder of Keepers of the Water

3 Key words to remember: Kitchen Possibilities

4 A Water Neutral Garden uses zero municipal or well water

5 Water Neutral Components Plants that use less water Water Management Rainwater harvesting Greywater

6 Low water use plants and rainwater harvesting:

7 A Water Neutral Garden

8 Raised bed watered by washing machine

9 Infiltration basin:

10 Rainwater tanks for the veggies

11 Monitoring existing drip system

12 The Greywater Component Definitions & Code Site design & Other Considerations Parts & Tools Installation Resources

13 What is Greywater? Waste water that is (re-used) from: Bathroom Sinks Showers and tubs Washing machines Not allowed per CA code: dishwashers, toilets, or kitchen sinks

14 Simple Abundance Greywater accounts for 39% of household waste water 30-60% of household drinking water is used for landscaping Washing machines account for 5%-40% of residential water use.

15 Benefits of Greywater It is a safe, easy, and effective supply that: Reduces use of fresh water, preserves surface water and recharges local groundwater Reduces user and municipal costs for maintenance and infrastructure of septic/sewer systems Provides better treatment of water than with a septic system or sewage treatment plant. Adds nutrition to top soils. Contributes to community water conservation

16 Greywater is Safe 8 million GW systems in US (22 mil users- 8% of pop) Estimated 2 million un-permitted systems in CA alone In over 60 years of US use, not one documented transmitted case of illness.

17 Greywater is Legal Was illegal in many areas of the US as late as the 1980 s. Santa Barbara first US city to permit greywater in 1989 Arizona is the most progressive state with law in 2002 CA adopted new standards in 2010.

18 Things to Avoid Things to avoid with installation/use are: Straining your washing machine pump Flooding or run-off to neighbors or storm drains Areas of standing water Human contact with greywater Safety hazards in drilling through walls

19 Peak Water? Fresh water supplies are dwindling globally- 1 % potable Water is the third most widely traded global commodity US water & sewer infrastructures are aging Water & sewage treatment rates are on the rise in CA City of SC & Soquel Creek Water District investigating desalinization plant

20 Santa Cruz County Water Issues The current annual water use for the district exceeds the available water supply by at least 15%. - Soquel Creek Water District Three of the four major sources are presently being utilized at maximum capacity for a significant portion of the year. - City of Santa Cruz Water Dept.

21 Soquel Creek Residential Rebates Spray to Drip Irrigation Rebate - $20 for 100 sq. ft. Irrigation Replacement Parts Rebate - up to $50 Weather-Based Irrigation Controller - $75 to $125 Rain Catchment Rebates - up to $750 High-efficiency Clothes Washer Rebate - $100 High-efficiency & Dual-flush Toilet Rebate - $250/free toilet Water-Wise Garden Mini-grants - up to $1200 Greywater - up to $225

22 Santa Cruz Residential Rebates Toilet Rebate Program- up to $150 for replacing an existing toilet that uses 3.5 gallons or more in their home with a qualifying High Efficiency Toilet (1.28 gallons or ) $75 to replace an old tank-type toilet with 1.6 gallon High Efficiency Clothes Washer Rebate Program- $100 for a water-efficient, ENERGY STAR clothes washer.

23 Where Do We Get Our Water? City of Santa Cruz is completely dependent on local water: 47% San Lorenzo River 25% North Coast Streams 24% Loch Lomond Reservoir

24 What s the Good News? Average US Consumption of water is 150 gpcd City of Santa Cruz consumes 75 gpcd CA Plumbing Code was amended in 2010, making greywater systems easier to install. So let s get started

25 Planning For Your Installation

26 Highlights of New State Code No permit needed for laundry to landscape. Must be under 2 inches of cover, mulch basins OK Can not pond, pool, run off property, enter storm drains or pollute any surface water. Need 3 feet to water table Must be divertable back to sewer/septic when needed Can not back-flow into drinking water system Outflow must be 2 ft from buildings, 1.5 ft from property lines Store for <24 hours, and avoid human contact

27 GW Outlets from Property Features Minimum Feet from Greywater Outlets Building structures 2 Adjoining neighbor property 1.5 Water supply wells 100 Surface & tidal Water 100 Sewage disposal (leach) fields 4 Septic tanks 5 On site domestic water service lines 0 Pressurized public water mains 10

28 Questions for Planning 1. How much greywater does your household produce? 2. Where do you want the water to go? 3. How much time and money do you want to spend? 4. What are the slope and percolation rates of your soil? (County will not approve of >49% slope for permits)

29 Plants & Greywater (If you re going irrigate it, you may as well eat it!) Greywater is best for fruit trees, fruiting hedges/bushes, and large annuals or perennials Not good for drought dependent (e.g. oaks) and acid loving plants (e.g. ferns, blueberries, etc.) Best for tall crops (beans, corn, tomatoes, berries) Don t apply to the edible portion of plants or to root crops (avoid lettuce).

30 First: Laundry to Landscape The internal pump of the washing machine pushes greywater directly through irrigation lines with multiple outlets to the receiving landscape

31 The washing machine. most commonly used indoor fixture for greywater easiest to divert to the landscape requires no permits

32 Which Soaps to Use? No boron or borax (plant micro-toxin) No salts or anything with sodium (degrades soil) No powdered laundry soaps No Peroxygen, Petroleum Distillate, or Alkylbenzene No chlorine, bleach or whiteners (peroxide OK) No stain removers Water softeners: potassium chloride OK- not sodium

33 Some Suggested Products Washers: Oasis, Ecos, Biopac Liquid Soaps, Tsunami Wave, 7th Generation Soap/Bleach Bathroom Sinks: Oasis, Dr. Bronner s Showers: Aubrey Organics, Dr. Bronner s,

34 0

35 Why Not Just Connect a Hose? Washer pump strain Requires moving hose (contact) If end of hose is lower than the washer s water level it can siphon water back into washer If hose is higher than washer water level, it can flow back into washing machine

36 Basic Materials 1 brass diverter valve and ½ ball valves Stainless hose clamps, hose service connectors Auto vent valve for air gap/vacuum break 1 and ½ PE tubing & various fittings & adapters Teflon tape and PVC glue, elbow fittings Power drill and 1 ¼ hole-saw Landscape staples, clippers, screwdriver, shovel(s) One way valve (for increased slope) Old 1 gallon plant containers (optional for outlet shields) Mulch (or dirt or rocks)

37 Transition to Outside May sometimes pass through window or vent Most will drill through wood, stucco or concrete Can go thru floor, but best to go at higher point

38 Auto Vent Keeps drain line from siphoning water out of the machine as it tries to refill itself

39 PE 1 and ½ Tubing for Lines Due to toxicity, our opinion is to use PE versus PVC (unless have recycled PVC) Advantages over PVC: PE can be curved Easier to cut Doesn t degrade with UV

40 Look of PVC

41 Outlets Types of outlets are: Drilled holes in line T (reducing or ball valves) Open (elevated) end for a mulch basin

42 Outlets- Regulating Flow Ways to adjust flow are: Diameter, length & height of PE tubing Line height, size and number of holes Using ball valves at ends of branches

43 Tuning Outlets Change one outlet and the pressure, flow and amount of water changes in all the others. If outlets too small: they will clog (use 7/32 or larger) If flow is too low: the pump will have to work harder. Too few outlets: too much water Too many outlets: won t have as much water in each

44 Emitter Shield Shown with a ball valve Recycled plant container Less messy to check outlet

45 Mulch! All outlets must be under two inches of cover Keeps the soil loose, friable and aerated Prevents wood chips from going to landfill Mulch basin filters water better than a sewage treatment plant and fertilizes your trees organically (You can also use soil or rocks to cover outlets)

46 Mulch Basins Capture the Flow Greywater basins are wider, deeper and flatter than regular planting basins, with thicker, coarser wood chips Make basin walls slightly higher than the surrounding grade Mulch basins should extend beyond the drip line and be expanded outward as tree grows. Keep crown of plant high and dry to avoid rotting

47 Truth About Roots

48 Hose Service Connection Addition of couplings that fit onto your garden hose so you can flush out the system Also makes it easier to fine tune the flow to the different outlets

49 Backflow Prevention Use if line goes uphill, Prevents greywater from flowing back into washer when pump stops Prevents greywater from back flowing into freshwater during the system flush or tuning.

50 Other Considerations Multiple zones Pumping uphill Steep downhill slopes Rainwater downspout Freezing conditions

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52 Pumping Uphill Higher irrigation- check valve/one way valve Horizontal is a safer bet for installation About ¾ of washers can push water about 3 feet above the top of washer You ll know it s not working if there s water left in the bottom of the washer drum.

53 Steep Downhill Slopes Down hill slopes will increase the water pressure You may have to experiment with flow if you have different types of slope on the same lot (up and down). If the slope changes in different areas, you an change the line diameter

54 Rainwater Connection Helps to distribute rainwater into the landscape and flush the lines with fresh water (like hose connection service) Folks are still experimenting with the best adapters to connect a large diameter line into main greywater line Need a ball valve and back-flow preventer so rain water won t flood your laundry room

55 Freezing Weather Use only in warm season and/or Use only a continuous down slope, so no standing water Use free flow outlets Insulate the lines or use PVC South and west are warmer sides of buildings

56 System is Flexible Flexible can switch between greywater and sewer inside house with use of diverter valve Efficient for irrigation ½ branching lines distribute water and ball valves can control flow Easy to change T s and lines after installation Relatively easy and inexpensive to install, with little maintenance

57 Other Greywater Systems Branched drain systems for gravity-fed fixtures Effluent pumping of greywater (tank) Sand filter to drip irrigation Constructed wetland (and to drip irrigation) Pulling permits (mandatory beyond washer in CA.) Contact Santa Cruz County Environmental Health Dept

58 Some Even Lower Tech

59 What are Branched Drains? Gravity-based system Must have access to pipes Exterior pipes must continuously slope downward (1/4 /foot) Best for larger plants/ trees and/or mulch basins

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61 Branched Drains vs. L2L Branched drains take more planning & commitment, and L2L is easier to install due to pumping action of washer, flexibility of lines, and no cutting of fixed plumbing. However, since typically, more shower or tub water is produced than from the laundry, branched drains are necessary to maximize greywater diversion. Branched drains are very low maintenance and don t need electricity

62 Cutting In Three-Way Valve ID the desired pipe Must cut between plumbing vent & toilet Cut as high as possible to conserve fall Drainage plumbing needs 18 minimum of ground clearance

63 Jandy Diverters in Place

64 Flow Divided with Flow Splitters Branched outlets must be designed deliberately to meet the location and needs of plants

65 Mulch Shields Mulch shield prevents outlets from clogging, as greywater drops 3-4 to mulch bed level

66 Pumping of greywater

67 Aqua2use

68 Sanifolo 21 Saniswift Text

69 Resources

70 Greywateraction.org 1-Day Laundry to Landscape Hands On Workshop 5-Day Installers (Certification) Course

71 Oasisdesign.net

72 Potential Sources for Materials

73 Other Resources Central Coast Greywater Alliance (ecoact.org/programs/pollution_prevention/ Graywater/index.htm) Santa Cruz Co Enviromental Health graywater_residential.pdf New CA Plumbing Code CPC_Graywater_Complete_ pdf

74 Think Globally The WHO reports 1 of 3 people globally, live in a water-stressed area. See the video: Flow- For the Love of Water "History demonstrates that properly managed water resources can be the deciding factor in determining the habitability of an individual site, the sustainability of a community, or the survival of an entire civilization." - Christian Science Monitor

75 Act Locally Possibilities?

76 Closing Questions Thank you! Golden Love (831)