Hello everybody!
Thanks to everyone who's commented, it's been very helpful in furthering my research project. That being said, it's time to state my potential thesis question:
Can retrofitting a house to incorporate a Greywater Treatment System be an economical method of water conservation in the Okanagan?
Let me know your thoughts on this question, or how it could be revised to improve on the impending research project!
Sounds like a pretty good thesis question Jon! I really like the topic and how it looks at recycling used grey water, however economically i dont think it makes sense unless water meters are implemented but morally it makes perfect sense. Nice work Jon!!!
ReplyDeleteJust a thought. But what about applying this to buildings with septic fields. For example a cabin or rural subdivision. Septic fields take a fairly large amount of land and if grey water treatment could help to reduce the size of field needed would only be a good thing. These proporties typically would get their water from a well so reducing the water draw from the well could mean smaller wells are needed and less wear on the fresh water systems.
ReplyDeleteActually, the house I'm doing this on isn't connected to municipal sewer; it has its own septic tank. I may find out that the pay-back time on a house with its own septic tank is much shorter than one that connects to a sewer line. As you said, the septic tank size perhaps could be reduced for similar projects, although it generally isn't allowed because of the possibility of the system failing, causing normal flow amounts to begin entering which could become messy in a small tank. Thanks Brad!
DeleteThis is true. There is one other thing too is that with septic fields of certain types, like the NODAK (north dakota) above ground type at our house in prince george, you are very restricted as to chemicals you use. to the point that you cant use dry soaps or bar soaps certainly nothing like drano. but a system like this may give those people a bit more leeway for things like that.
DeleteYeah that could definitely be looked into! Perhaps water can be treated to the point that it wouldn't have strong enough chemicals to affect the septic field. Thanks!
DeleteHowdy Jon!
ReplyDeleteI like a website called HowStuffWorks and I look through their website every so often and found this article: http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/gray-water-reclamation.htm . It is titled 'How Gray Water Reclamation Works' and covers a decent amount of info. Hope it helps!
Congratulations Harry, the website you suggested is quite useful and has made it into my "Relevant Web Sites" list! A high honour indeed!
DeleteWater reclamation has always been an issue that has been discussed by many people. It is such an interesting topic and I am excited to read more about your research. Your question seems like it cries out for a debate. On one hand we have environmentalists claiming that we need to salvage as much water as possible and reuse whatever we can in our gardens, to wash our cars, clean our driveways, and many other uses that we may not need "Treated" water for. On the other hand, there is the question of whether or not it's feasible or cost effective to use water reclamation systems. The amount of money it costs for the equipment that separates the two types of water may exceed most peoples care level. Not to mention, you always run a risk of toxins going into the grey water system. Is the system filtered? or treated on a lesser amount? I guess this is all up to the individual and their feelings. In places where water is more scarce, they have fines on municipal water usage for things like watering the lawn or having water features such as ponds. They also have water meters on every home and charge a fair amount of money per gallon. Now, while they are implementing the meters into the Okanagen region, we still do not have a shortage of water resources and will certainly not be seeing a fine for using water to wash our cars and water our lawns any time soon. So I guess, as I said before, it is probably something that could go up for a good debate. Good luck on this one Jon!
ReplyDeleteI agree, my family actually had the option to install one, and we considered it, but as far as resale of the house goes, many people will actually deter from grey water systems because the murky color of water in their toilet off-puts them (which I think is absolutely ridiculous). The system will be filtered, and there will also be a disinfecting tablet used with it. Perhaps part of my research could include being cost effective in the process, as well as looking into ways to make the system seem more appealing to the public! Thanks Matt!
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