Grey-water Recovery and Treatment

In San Diego:

The permit process is compex and expensive enough that most home based gray water systems are not legal. Here is the permitting process and design criteria document published by the county:
http://www.co.san-diego.ca.us/deh/water/docs/lu_graywater_design_criteria.pdf However, the permitting and inspection requirements are changed so often that no one has time to figure out the red tape before the next change. The result is that not one single gray water permit was issued from 2005 to 2008 in a county that is starving for water.^ It is not known if any permits have been issued since then, but given the extreem requirements to prove that no groundwater exists on the property, it is unlikely that any home owner could afford to install a permitted system.

Also:

• Gardening
• Ponds
• Wells
• Rainwater

See:

• http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=tiiamVvTKpVlvGUqqbMv22w&output=html One familys water use for 2007-9 showing rate, tiers, used, and price. With total usage of approx $900 a year, installing a grey water system costing between $225-$450 and that might save a quarter to half the water used would pay for itself in a year.
• homedepot.com product #202020567  $149 Rescue WaterUrn 85 Gal. Decorative Urn Rain Barrel Kit with Integrated Planter, Hand Cast Terra Cotta
• http://www.rinconwater.org/ the Rincon del Diablo Municipal Water District serves Escondido CA. They offer a 30% credit against the System Operations Charge for domestic customers using 12 units or less of water bi-monthly (e.g. a drop in the bucket)

See also:

• http://rewater.com/ A Chula Vista company that has been the local leader in gray water systems since 1990.
• http://www.oasisdesign.net A general resource for gray water systems
• http://www.rhizomecollective.org/virtual_tour.htm Constructed wetlands: Constructed wetlands are artificially created wetlands systems which purify household wastewater (greywater). Water passing through the root zones of the plants is acted upon by the bacteria living there. The bacteria effectively remove organic nutrients plus nitrogen and contaminants from the water, making it safe for reuse for gardening purposes. This system is made from old bathtubs which have been filled with gravel and water plants. Water from the washing machine is pumped to the top tub, where it then flows by gravity from one tub to the next, until it is delivered to plants through tubing.
  
  An additional component to this system is the woodchip biofilter. This adds an anaerobic phase to the purification process, reducing the amount of gravel cells that are necessary. The woodchips have been inoculated with a mushroom spore which is effective at breaking down fecal coliforms.
  
  The basic guideline for constructed wetland systems is to have 1.3 square feet of filtration area for every gallon of water used daily at your house. The containers through which it passes shouldn’t be more than two feet deep. Ideal types of plants include: bulrush, cattail, canna lilly and phragmittes reeds.
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