Graywater

Don't Lose It, Use it

If water from your clothes washer, bathtub, shower, or bathroom sink is going down the drain, you're losing a great water resource. Water that drains from these fixtures can be used again. It's called graywater and it can be a great source of irrigation water for your landscape. 

Using your graywater is great way to practice the motto Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. By using graywater, you reduce the need to pump precious groundwater, and you reuse a resource so valuable in the desert. 

Consider that a family of four generates 69.6 gallons of graywater per day. That's a lot of water going down the drain that has already been paid for and that can be used again to water your plants. 

In most cases, graywater is most effective as a supplemental irrigation source. You generate graywater every day you are home. However, when you are away, you need to consider the water needs of your plants while no graywater is being generated. So, it's best to integrate the use of your graywater into your overall landscape water budget. Graywater is most appropriate for ornamental vegetation, citrus, nut, stone fruit trees, and compost piles. 

If you want to use your graywater you will want to use it safely, so please get a copy of the new Arizona Rules for using graywater. You can get a copy of the rules on the internet at: