WaterAs drought continues, more Californians turn to greywater

California’s rainy season tends to run from October to late March, but for the third year in a row rain has been relatively absent, meaning that the state is currently suffering from a severe, unprecedented drought. With increasing water rates, a growing number of homeowners in Southern California are relying on greywater systems to support their landscapes and toilet flushing. ReWater, a high-end greywater system, relies on spent water from showers, bathroom faucets, and washers to supply gardens, but not before it filters the water.

Penny Pengra, a Glendale resident, uses a basic filterless, pump-less greywater unit that relies on gravity to move bathwater onto her yard. “My plants are crazy awesome,” she said. Since water from greywater systems is not recommended for lawns or edible gardens, she still relies on a water sprinkler to maintain her lawn. Some greywater systems like the one Pengra uses can be turned on or off with a switch. “If it’s been raining and I don’t want all my water to go down to my plants, or I’m cleaning with some extra heavy-duty solvents, I can flip the switch and it goes straight to the sewer,” she says.

Some homeowners have stopped using greywater systems because they can become difficult to maintain. According to the Los Angeles Daily News, when a unit’s water tank is left full for days, it may develop water borne fungi, especially in filterless systems; and when filters are used, some homeowners have a difficult time regularly cleaning them. “Filters can be pretty gross so we tend to stick to really low-tech systems that have no filters and just bigger pipes so there’s no clogging issues,” says Leigh Jerrard, a licensed architect who founded Greywater Corps. five years ago and now installs residential greywater systems.

Jerrard and other greywater advisors warn homeowners against using products and soaps that contain sodium and borax, two common ingredients that are harmless to humans but toxic to plants and soil. Chlorine is also harmful to plants, so homeowners are recommended to switch to faucets that drain water into the sewer or septic before harmful chemicals are released.

Jerrard, who has worked with the city of Los Angeles to simplify the permit process for basic greywater systems, expects the drought to continue. “It’s been a slow growth over the years but finally things are really busy for us,” he says. “If the drought continues, honestly, I could see all new construction will have greywater systems of some kind because it really doesn’t make sense to put usable water in the sewer system.”