Every Drop Is Precious: Greywater As an Alternative Water Source
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ELECTRONIC VERSION EVERY DROP IS PRECIOUS: GREYWATER AS AN ALTERNATIVE WATER SOURCE RESEARCH BULLETIN NO 4/98 GLENDA EMMERSON QUEENSLAND PARLIAMENTARY LIBRARY Publications and Resources Section BRISBANE July 1998 ISSN 1325-1341 ISBN 0 7242 7838 9 © Queensland Parliamentary Library, 1998 Copyright protects this publication. Except for purposes permitted by the Copyright Act 1968, reproduction by whatever means is prohibited, other than by Members of the Queensland Parliament in the course of their official duties, without the prior written permission of the Parliamentary Librarian, Queensland Parliamentary Library. Inquiries should be addressed to: Director, Publications & Resources, Queensland Parliamentary Library, Parliament House, George Street, Brisbane. Director: Ms Mary Seefried. (Tel: 3406 7116) Information about Research Publications can be found on the Internet at: http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/library/research/index.html ABSTRACT Less than 1 per cent of the total water on the planet is readily available for human use.1 Some 26 countries already have more people than their water supplies can support. In some of these countries, a litre of water costs four to five times that of a litre of petrol. Australia’s water supply has not reached such a critical stage, but increasing demands on water and an ever-increasing population means that water supply is becoming a serious issue. Alternative sources of water can potentially save significant amounts of precious drinking water. One alternative source of water is greywater. Greywater is the water that goes down domestic bathroom and laundry drains. If this water is diverted for relatively safe applications such as garden irrigation, then a family can reduce their water usage by around 30-50 per cent, obviously a significant saving. With an increasing number of people paying for each drop of water they use through water meters, systems offering savings are going to become important. Greywater reuse also offers environmental benefits. Less nitrogen and phosphorous are released into waterways and hence may reduce the occurrence of algal blooms. Despite the opportunities offered by greywater reuse systems, they cannot be viewed as a water conservation panacea. A level of caution should be exercised with their use. Greywater has the potential to contain significant contaminants. Hence public health and the environment may be at risk. In addition, the current low cost of water may make the installation of such systems uneconomic. Greywater reuse systems are used in Queensland, however the current legislation generally prohibits the use and installation of such systems. Many people are unaware that their use of greywater is potentially illegal unless permission from the local authority has been obtained. The Queensland Government is currently reviewing its legislation on greywater reuse. This Bulletin is a review of existing information and scientific data as it pertains to the reuse of greywater as a water conservation measure. Throughout the Bulletin, specific issues that warrant further research are highlighted. Technologies available for greywater reuse applications are discussed. Also reviewed are the current regulatory, planning and management issues affecting the use of greywater reclamation systems. 1 D Rowe and I Abdel-Magid, Handbook of Wastewater Reclamation and Reuse, Lewis Publishers, New York, 1995, Preface. CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION............................................................................................ 1 2. SOURCES OF WATER IN QUEENSLAND ................................................. 3 3. USE OF WATER IN AUSTRALIA AND QUEENSLAND ........................... 4 3.1 AUSTRALIA ................................................................................................... 4 3.2 QUEENSLAND ................................................................................................ 5 3.3 HOW MUCH WASTEWATER DOES QUEENSLAND PRODUCE EACH DAY? ............. 7 4. WHAT IS GREYWATER?............................................................................. 7 4.1 WHY USE GREYWATER? ................................................................................ 8 4.2 GOVERNMENT RESPONSES TO WATER CONSERVATION AND REUSE ................ 9 4.3 WASTEWATER REUSE OPTIONS .................................................................... 11 4.4 ACCESSING GREYWATER.............................................................................. 12 4.5 GREYWATER QUALITY ................................................................................. 12 4.5.1 Microbial .............................................................................................. 13 4.5.2 Chemical............................................................................................... 14 4.6 METHODS OF GREYWATER REUSE................................................................ 14 4.6.1 Types of greywater systems .................................................................. 15 5. ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF GREYWATER REUSE ... 16 5.1 SEWAGE = POLLUTION = PUBLIC HEALTH DANGER ...................................... 16 5.1.1 Public health ......................................................................................... 16 5.1.2 Mosquitoes and vermin......................................................................... 17 5.1.3 Multiple Users ...................................................................................... 17 5.1.4 The reliability of owner maintained systems........................................... 18 5.1.5 Reduced flows to the sewerage system.................................................. 18 5.1.6 Concerns with greywater use for toilet flushing ..................................... 19 5.1.7 Flexibility of water use.......................................................................... 19 5.1.8 Summary .............................................................................................. 20 5.2 ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS ............................................................ 20 5.2.1 Water Conservation .............................................................................. 21 5.2.2 Effects of applying greywater to the soil................................................ 21 5.2.3 Contamination of the water table .......................................................... 21 5.2.4 Aesthetics............................................................................................. 22 5.2.5 Environmental awareness and involvement............................................ 22 5.3 CURRENT COST OF WATER AND REUSABLE GREYWATER IN AUSTRALIA......... 22 5.3.1 Cost of greywater systems .................................................................... 23 5.3.2 Cost to the community.......................................................................... 24 6. PUBLIC ACCEPTANCE OF GREYWATER REUSE ............................... 25 7. GREYWATER REUSE OVERSEAS........................................................... 26 7.1 THE UNITED STATES.................................................................................... 26 7.2 JAPAN......................................................................................................... 27 8. REGULATION OF THE USE OF GREYWATER..................................... 28 8.1 COMMONWEALTH ....................................................................................... 29 8.2 STATES AND TERRITORIES ........................................................................... 30 8.2.1 Australian Capital Territory .................................................................. 31 8.2.2 South Australia..................................................................................... 31 8.2.3 Western Australia ................................................................................. 31 8.3 QUEENSLAND.............................................................................................. 32 8.3.1 Legislation............................................................................................ 33 8.4 GUIDELINES AND POLICIES DEVELOPED BY OTHER STATUTORY BODIES AND ASSOCIATIONS................................................................................................... 35 9. QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT POLICY DEVELOPMENT................. 35 9.1 GREYWATER POLICY OPTIONS PAPER.......................................................... 35 9.2 INTERIM GUIDELINES FOR REUSE AND DISPOSAL OF RECLAIMED WASTEWATER37 9.3 QUEENSLAND WASTEWATER REUSE STRATEGY ........................................... 37 10. CONCLUSION........................................................................................... 37 BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................. 39 GLOSSARY....................................................................................................... 45 APPENDIX 1: ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF POLICY OPTIONS........................................................................................................... 47 Every Drop is Precious: Greywater As An Alternative Resource Page 1 1. INTRODUCTION Water is the driving force of all nature - Leonardo da Vinci Water is one of the most valuable natural resources we have. It is vital to life. We live on one of the driest continents in the world, yet Australians often take water for granted. For most of us, water is available at the turn of a tap. No thought is given to where our water is coming from, the cost