Permaculture “Wastewater” Systems Greywater and Black water Lisa DePiano

What is Greywater Anyway?

  Water from your sinks, showers and washing machines

  It is NOT water from your toilets or anything that has come into contact with Feces (Black water)

  50-80% of residential “wastewater” is greywater Art Ludwig, Creating and Oasis with Greywater

Why Use Greywater?   Reduce use of Freshwater

  Less strain on septic systems or treatment plants

  More effective purification

  Feasibility for sites unsuitable for a septic tank

  Reduced use of energy and chemicals

  Recharge Groundwater

  Plant Growth

  Reclamation of Nutrients

  Increased awareness of natural cycles

  More FUN!

Greywater Potential   Top Loader Washer: 30-50 gallons per load

  Front Loader Washer: 10-15 gallons per load

  Shower: low flow shower head (2.5 gall/min) x 10 minutes= 25 gallons

  Bathtub: 30-40 gallons per bath

  Kitchen Sink: 50-15 gallons per person per day

Greywater Guidelines   Do not store for more than 24 hours

  Minimize direct contact

  Do not allow anything toxic to go into the system

  Make sure all greywater goes into the ground

  Install 3-way valve for easy switching between greywater and sewer

Soaps and Products   Avoid Salt and Boron

  Products that are salt and Boron Free: Oasis, ECOS, Bio Pac Liquid Detergent

  Dr. Bronners, Aubrey Organics, some Burts Bee’s

  Most shampoos and Conditioners contain reproductive toxins and carcinogens check out cosmeticdatabase.org

Code/Legal Issues

  Arizona, New Mexico and Texas- Residential Systems (under 400 gal/day) fall under permit and are “legal”

  Australia- greywater is mandated, rebates

Grey Water Plants   Plants that don’t like greywater: drought

dependent (oak tree), acid loving (blueberry, ferns)

  Best for fruit trees, bushes, large annuals or perennials

  Food Crops: Do not put greywater on edible portion, no roots, salad, good for berries and fruit

Greywater Design Process

Choosing a System

•  There are many different systems that can be tailored to you or your clients design goals, site and budget.

•  The following slide is a list of some of the different types of greywater systems.

Choosing a System   Landscape Direct

  Washer: Laundry Drum

  Washer: “drumless laundry”

  Shower/Sink: Branched Drain

  Shower/Sink: “drum with effluent pump”

  Solar Greywater Greenhouse

  Constructed Wetlands

Here are some basic greywater tools

3-way valve

Drill bits for drilling holes through drywall

Installing 3-way valve to washer so you can switch between the system and

sewer

Connected and mounted to wall

Hole is drilled through exterior wall and vented. PVC pipe brings water down slope to landscape

Greywater is applied to mulch ring in landscape

Brick is added for flow

We all can install- Work with complementary skill sets

Other Waste Water Treatment

FLOATING “TRASH ISLAND”

CONSTRUCTED WETLAND USING WASTE MATERIALS

Constructed Wetland •  We mimic the way that a wetland cleans water.

•  Water enters system through a washing machine and gravity fed into bathtubs filled with gravel and wetland plants.

•  We create habitat for aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. They digest carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus which they use as nutrients.

Rhizome Collective, Austin, TX

Storm Water Runoff •  Mimics floating islands in

nature when lake bank breaks from the shore.

•  Plant roots hold “island” together creating habitat for bacteria, zooplankton and other organisms which uptake excess nutrients and break down toxins

•  This is used in a storm water run off pond in Texas. Made from “trash” on site.

Floating Island, Austin, TX

Black Water •  Water containing fecal matter

•  Different contamination level and process

•  Best solution is source separation of fecal matter from clean drinking water

•  “Less than 2/10ths of 1 % of the planets water is drinkable, and 90 % goes to buildings, including flushing toilets.” –national resources defense council

Black Water Treatment"Black water

Bucket system Composting toilet Methane digester Living Machine

Pros, inexpensive, Simple, direct contact- visible Low energy

Onsite, low energy, Can be used as fertilizer, Decentralized

Can be used to provide gas or energy, delt with onsite

Uses biological resources, Beautiful Large Scale

Cons- direct contact, visible Cultural Views

Cultural View, improper management

Cost Energy intensive, Cost, Centralized

The above is a chart of black water treatment options with pros and cons

Dockside Green, CN •  Permaculture Design for community scale.

•  Located on a 15 acre Brownfield on Victorias waterfront. It’s a mix business and residential development containing 26 buildings totaling 1.3 million square feet.

•  Treating 702,240 gallons of wastewater per week. Water used to flush toilets and irrigate landscaping. Extra water will go to canal treated with plants.

•  Water feature increases real estate sales

•  www.docksidegreen.com

Diagram of Dock Side Green Project in Victoria, Canada

Living Machine at the I-89 rest stop, Vermont

•  Black water from toilets get cleaned by living machine

•  Water is reticulated to flush toilets

•  Machine process is documented to educate the public