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Index : Watering
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- 29. Gardeners Can Use Waste Water On Plants - Top
- Up until January of this year it was illegal to take used water from your bathtub or washing machine and apply it your garden or landscape plants. All that changed when the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality issued new regulations authorizing the use of household greywater, with certain stipulations.
Grey water could be simply described as tapwater that was used and then collected for reuse. Other common terms for greywater include; reclaimed water, recycled water, and waste-water. In the home, water from washing machines, bathtubs, showers, and fountains would be categorized as greywater. All these sources of water can now be used for watering plants on one's own property with a few stipulations and exceptions.
The rules apply to average-sized households. If your family generates less than 400 gallons of greywater per day, you qualify. To determine your families greywater amount, simply multiply 35 gallons times the number of family members in your house. That will give you the estimated gallons of greywater your family generates in one day. To generate more that 400 gallons, means you would have more than 11 persons living in your home.
Greywater must be generated and used within the property boundary of the household. In addition to watering gardens and landscapes, greywater may also be used for home composting. Lawns can also be watered, but they must be flood irrigated. Greywater can be used only for drip or flood irrigation, not for spray irrigation as is typically used for lawns.
No greywater containing hazardous waste may be used. This would include waste water from cleaning car parts, washing of greasy or oily rags, or disposal of waste solutions from home photo labs or home occupational activities. Graywater also must not come from the washing of diapers or similarly soiled garments unless that water is disinfected before using it to irrigate.
If a storage system is used for greywater, such as plastic trash cans or wooden barrels, the container must be covered. This will restrict access to breeding mosquitoes and keep sunlight out, thus preventing algae growth in the water. If there is a backup or overflow in the greywater storage or handling system, this water must either flow back into the normal sewage system or be used for on-site irrigation.
I have had questions from home gardeners about the safety of greywater for their plants. I do not have any personal experience, but I have talked to persons who have use greywater for years. Their experience has been that it is safe to use on hardy landscape trees and shrubs. I would not, however, recommend the use of undiluted greywater on garden plants. Levels of sodium and boron contained in laundry detergents could be harmful to herbaceous plants such as flowers, vegetables, and herbs.
Caution should be taken when using water from a spa or pool because of it's chlorine content. Chlorine, even in small amounts, is injurious to plants. All chlorine should have dissipated from the water before it is safe to use for lawn or landscape irrigation.
If you would like a copy of the new guidelines for use of residential greywater, contact the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality at 1-800-234-5677.
The topic for this week's garden demonstration will be "Growing Garden & Patio Tomatoes". It will be presented on Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. at the Pima County Extension Center, at 1:00 p.m. at the Wilmot Library, and on Thursday at 2:00 p.m. at Marana Planning Services on the Northeast corner of Orange Grove and Thornydale. Answers to gardening questions may be obtained by phoning 626-5161 in Tucson or 648-0808 in Green Valley.
Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with U.S. Department of Agriculture, James A. Christenson, Director, Cooperative Extension, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the University of Arizona.
The University of Arizona college of Agriculture and Life Sciences is an Equal Opportunity employer authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function without regard to sex, race, religion, color, national origin, age, Vietnam Era Veteran's status, or disability.
- Updated: April 20, 2001
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