April 14, 2009
Who’s “gray water” is it anyway?
Greywater, also known as sullage, is non-industrial wastewater generated from domestic processes such as dish washing, laundry and bathing. Greywater comprises 50-80% of the residential wastewater generated from all of the house’s sanitation equipment, except for the septic tank (water from toilets is blackwater, or sewage).
Well, when you hear that, you’d think you own water you paid for to get to your house, and if you choose to recycle it in some manner and reuse it, you should be able to without any problem, right? Wrong.
Maybe not here in S.C., but in Las Vegas, water that’s used indoors travels a continuous loop. From people’s homes, water flows to a treatment plant, and is then sent back to Lake Mead where an equal amount is pumped out of the lake, and the 12-mile journey back to the treatment plants and then homes starts all over again.
“People paid for that water and I think they should be allowed to do with it what they wish,”
– Launce Rake, spokesman for the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada.
Several locals have wondered: “Why don’t we shorten this loop somehow and come up with a more efficient system?”
As usual, it comes down to money. Water officials claim, “What’s the incentive for residents to curb consumption if their water bills drop? Even more water would be drawn from Lake Mead, without returning.”
Unfortunately, this is a case of too much conservation, and not enough efficiency. There has to be a middle ground where people won’t take advantage of the system by using excess water just because they own it.
Just do the right thing.
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What do you think about that?
