WHAT IS gREY WATER?
Well the average Australian household produces 120 litres of useable grey water, per person, per day. This is the wastewater from your bathroom and laundry and is considered suitable to be reused to water your garden. The water from your kitchen and toilet is not.
To use this grey water
You can simply bucket the water from the laundry or bathroom to the garden
You can install a watermarked grey water diversion device.
Or you can install a grey water treatment system.
Option 1: This first option is obviously the cheapest in money cost but high in time cost. So if you have the time to spend, then this is a great option for you.
Option 2: The diversion device costs a few thousand dollars to purchase and have installed and also requires some time initially to set up sub soil dripper lines through your garden. But depending on the model you choose, it should require little, or no time to maintain.It also has the benefits of directing the water deep, to the roots of the plants through the dripper line. The dripper line is buried at least 100mm under the soil or mulch which means there is little evaporation or runoff. A diversion device can also be installed without approval from your local council.
Option 3: A grey water treatment system will treat your water to a quality that can be reused back into your house in either the toilet or the washing machine.It can also be stored for later use. So it not only reuses your water but can reduce your mains water consumption. The main disadvantages are that a treatment system requires council approval and it is much more expensive in excess of $10,000 just to purchase. They also take up more space on your property.
Greywater irrigating is a great idea if done correctly, because unlike rainwater catchment, it is a CONSISTANT water supply due to our habits of showering daily.
For more information on the guidelines for grey water reuse check out this document.
