We’ve said time and again that proper health involves proper water protocols, and while this is true, we’re about to tell you alarming news about reliable research regarding “gray water.”

Based on collected data, the average person consumes 25 gallons of water per day. Unfortunately, the data does not only count regular, potable drinking water but also highly contaminated gray water. In a single month, 750 gallons of gray water are consumed by men, women, and children alike.

Gray water is defined as household wastewater from showers, laundry, bathwater, lavatory (basin) water, cleaning water, and untreated spa water. The majority of the classified gray water is found in your home. Here’s a quick guide to learn more about gray water: 

How Is Gray Water Dangerous?

Gray water (also known as “gray water”) can be contaminated with bacteria and viruses, making it unsafe to drink or use. When consumed, it may trigger infections and diseases that are unseen or undetected by the naked eye. 

Simply put, greywater should never be consumed. However, it can still be utilized for things like toilets and irrigation systems. Remember that greywater cannot be sprinkler-irrigated without treatment because it can cause airborne bacteria and viruses.

Can We Recycle Gray Water Rather than Waste It?

The short answer is yes. One of the most common methods of gray water recycling is collecting it and volumes and reusing it for plants and gardens. This is one of the sustainable ways to incorporate landscaping for homes and commercial spaces. 

Other recycling methods exist, but a residential gray water recycling system can cost about $10,000 or more. Moreover, gardens do not require clean drinking water to thrive. They frequently flourish on the nutrients found in gray water.

To safely handle gray water, here are the precautions you must follow:

• Greywater should not be stored for more than 24 hours

• The laundry detergent (found in greywater) with a high salt content can be toxic to plants
• Cleaning with boron products and using this greywater can be poisonous to your plants
• Greywater should be distributed uniformly and evenly, so make sure that you don’t overwater a section of your garden and kill the plants.

Gray Water in an Urban Environment

Only showers, baths, spa baths, and laundry water are recommended for reuse in an urban setting with a wastewater system. Meanwhile, kitchen and lavatory water are best left out of a blackwater waste pipe system. 

Additionally, lavatory water is frequently insufficient to justify connection costs and, in any case, provides additional water flow to flush out the blackwater pipe system.

Gray Water in a Rural Environment

Cooking water may be reused in the rural environment, provided that they follow strict local rules (i.e. if a septic system is used) and if particular conditions are met. For these areas, a grease trap is installed between the sink and the gray water system. This ensures that food, fats, and oils are released into the garden or don’t reach a body of water like the ocean. 

Aside from the high level of bacteria, the buildup of significant amounts of fat in the topsoil can form an impenetrable barrier, leading to devastating consequences. 

Conclusion

It’s relatively easy to understand the matters of gray water. Once you’re knowledgeable of its source, how it occurs, and the ways you can reuse it, you can build a more efficient wastewater system. When handled properly, you can create a sustainable environment without endangering anybody’s health or harming plants and animals in your home.

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