Playing with Water: Photo credit Wester on Flickr

Written by Deia de Brito

In California, we are in the third year of a drought that has now risen to levels deemed “severe” by the state government. Precipitation, run-off, snow packs, and reservoirs are low, while water resources have been over-allocated. That’s why everybody’s talking about water conservation — from efficient showerheads, low-flush toilets, and limits on lawn-watering, to wastewater reclamation and rainwater catchment. One of the recent victories for the water conservation community has been the rewriting of an antiquated and draconian state plumbing code that dealt with the reuse of graywater.

This story received 50 percent of its funding from the Bay Area Monitor along with editorial support.

Read the full story at the Bay Area Monitor’s website.

For background also see.

• Plumbing the Bay Area with Graywater: An interview with the reporter Deia de Brito

Also read the following Addendum from the Bay Area Monitor’s editor.

Earlier this year, I was browsing through pitches on Spot.Us and came across one by freelancer Deirdre Newman regarding the development of high-speed rail in California. The topic fit nicely into the coverage area of the Bay Area Monitor, the newsletter that I edit for the nonprofit League of Women Voters of the Bay Area, and so I donated the money required to procure rights on the proposed article. With Spot.Us members covering the remainder of Deirdre’s costs, she was able to produce an excellent piece that I published in April.

Pleased with the results of this experience and encouraged to again take advantage of this innovative tool, I posted a pitch of my own on Spot.Us, hoping to connect with a reporter who could write an article for the Monitor about graywater. This is a subject that the League has been enthusiastic about studying, and it proved of interest to the Spot.Us community as well. Funding for the article piled up relatively quickly, and more than half a dozen freelancers threw their hats into the ring. I’m sure each of them could have handled the job well, but only able to choose one, I offered the assignment to Deia de Brito, who proved herself more than up to the task.

Deia put in a tremendous amount of research and was able to skillfully integrate her findings into a fluid narrative, providing useful details about graywater practices, a comprehensive history of their application in different regions, and an impressive amount of interview material from some of the most high-profile sources around. I am excited to have published her article and believe that Monitor readers will find it educational and thought-provoking. All in all, the second go-round with Spot.Us demonstrated to me once again what a great idea this venture into community-supported journalism really is.

Beyond reflecting on the collaborative process that Spot.Us has allowed me to enter into as an editor, I also would like to take this opportunity to supplement Deia’s article with some additional information that she alluded to but did not have room to include in full. As she explained, the California Plumbing Code has been updated to eliminate the red tape that has previously inhibited the installation of residential graywater systems. In her article, she noted: “The new code will allow homeowners to install single fixture systems (which collect graywater from one plumbing fixture) as well as clothes washer systems without obtaining permits, as long as they follow 12 simple requirements.” Since readers may be curious to know what those requirements are exactly, all 12 follow below, courtesy of the California Department of Housing and Community Development:

1. If required, notification has been provided to the Enforcing Agency regarding the proposed location and installation of a graywater irrigation or disposal system. [Note: A city, county, or city and county or other local government may, after a public hearing and enactment of an ordinance or resolution, further restrict or prohibit the use of graywater systems. For additional information, see Health and Safety Code Section 18941.7.
2. The design shall allow the user to direct the flow to the irrigation or disposal field or the building sewer.  The direction control of the graywater shall be clearly labeled and readily accessible to the user.
3. The installation, change, alteration or repair of the system does not include a potable water connection or a pump and does not affect other building, plumbing, electrical or mechanical components including structural features, egress, fire-life safety, sanitation, potable water supply piping or accessibility.
4. The graywater shall be contained on the site where it is generated.
5. Graywater shall be directed to and contained within an irrigation or disposal field.
6. Ponding or runoff is prohibited and shall be considered a nuisance.
7. Graywater may be released above the ground surface provided at least two (2) inches (51 mm) of mulch, rock, or soil, or a solid shield covers the release point. Other methods which provide equivalent separation are also acceptable.
8. Graywater systems shall be designed to minimize contact with humans and domestic pets.
9. Water used to wash diapers or similarly soiled or infectious garments shall not be used and shall be diverted to the building sewer.
10. Graywater shall not contain hazardous chemicals derived from activites such as cleaning car parts, washing greasy or oily rags, or disposing of waste solutions from home photo labs or similar hobbyists or home occupational activities.
11. Exemption from construction permit requirments of this code shall not be deemed to grant authroization for any graywater system to be installed in a manner that violates other provisions of this code or any other laws or ordinances of the Enforcing Agency.
12. An operation and maintenance manuel shall be provided. Directions shall indicate the manual is to remain with the building throughout the life of the system and indicate that upon change of ownership or occupancy, the new owner or tenant shall be notified the structure contains a graywater system

Related posts:

1. Bay Area Monitor Looking for Freelancers via Spot.Us
2. Published – High-Speed Rail’s Funding Puzzle
3. Plumbing the Bay Area with Gray Water
4. One of Two Parts on Hooverville – Published
5. Return of the Hooverville – Published