By Shawn Dell Joyce
Each of us uses up to 36,000 gallons of water a year, topping over 146,000 for a family of four, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

That’s a lot of freshwater funneled down the drain and into overflowing septic tanks and sewers. At least half that water could be recycled and used again. That half is called grey water.

Grey water is not to be confused with black water, which flows from toilets and kitchen sinks. It is from the bathtub, shower, sink, laundry and dishwasher, and contains very few pathogens.

While this water is not for human consumption, it is fine for watering landscaping, flushing toilets or washing clothes. People who travel in recreational vehicles understand this concept very well.
Some water-conscious homeowners are designing grey water plumbing systems into their new homes. According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH) program, installing a grey water reuse system in a new home costs from $500 to $2,500. Homeowners’ costs may vary depending on local code requirements for grey water and the costs of monthly treatment and water quality tests.

A built-in home grey water system separates the grey from black water and drinking water. It filters and sterilizes grey water without using chemicals then pipes it into a cistern for use in exterior watering and clothes washing. A screen catches hair and fibers. Then, special biocultures in a second chamber filter out organic compounds. An ultraviolet light sterilizes the grey water on its way to storage.

While that’s all nice if you’re building a new home, it’s not as easy to retrofit an existing house. Many people have taken to building their own simple grey water systems. You can watch a simple “how-to” video on You Tube about building a sink into the back of a toilet. Water from the sink fills the tank for the next flush. There’s a wonderful website and book produced by the Grey Water Guerrillas called “Dam Nation” which offers plans for simple grey water systems, and an overview of the politics of water.

Right now, more than a quarter of the world’s population has no access to safe drinking water. That’s one out of every four children, men and women. As one of its millennium goals, the United Nations is determined to reduce that statistic by half. If we all made a little effort to conserve and reuse water, each of us could save enough water to quench the thirst of 300 people a year.

If you would like to learn how to make your own rain barrel, and use grey water in your gardens, contact the Conservation Advisory Council for the Town of Montgomery, or take Cornell Cooperative Extension’s “Create Your Own Rain Barrel” workshop on March 31 at the Extension Office in Middletown.