Grey Water...Illegal?

If you are parked on private property, can you use your grey water to garden?  I know some "green" houses are set up to reuse the grey water several times but I have heard that it is good for your garden too.  I know dumping it somewhere other than a dumping station is illegal  but I don't consider this dumping but reusing it.  Thoughts?

Also for a family of 4, how often do you think I will have to empty the tanks?

Whether it is "illegal" needs to be decided by the local governing body.  In our area, the county Health Association prohibits all gray dumping but would be hardpressed to patrol on your land.  Keep in mind that there will be odor (small bits of decayed food). 

jdavis3152003 said:

If you are parked on private property, can you use your grey water to garden?  I know some "green" houses are set up to reuse the grey water several times but I have heard that it is good for your garden too.  I know dumping it somewhere other than a dumping station is illegal  but I don't consider this dumping but reusing it.  Thoughts?

Also for a family of 4, how often do you think I will have to empty the tanks?

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Many years ago, we had a 300 acre farm nearly totally off grid (propane for livestock barn heating and gasoline for vehicles our only off grid source). We recycled grey water onto lawns, but the occasional odors made us stop using it on vegetable gardens - we stored the grey in holding tanks until use so that is probably where odor came from. The county came to our property one day with new regulations regarding licensing for water reuse - without an approved system and a license we could not reuse grey water. We quit and sent it to the septic system. Shoot, we have been trying to buy rural property in a couple of states to build parking spots near grandkids and living in an rv is illegal, even in the country.Check your local regulations.

How long your holding tanks will take to fill depends on how big they are and how much water you use. There are a lot of people who talk about going a long time between dumps. Others, not so much. We fill a 40 gallon black tank (2 people) in 5 days.

I had no clue that some areas don't allow you to live in an RV (rural).  We know so many people that do it or have done it.  I doubt they looked into it either. 

It's legal here and encouraged.

Living in your RV or reusing your grey water?

Gray water dumping is less desirable if you're in an area with water, such as a pond, stream, or river.  The U.S. Clean Water Act may govern whether you can dump.  It's interesting that you should ask because we've been in several campgrounds recently that clearly said in their rules that gray water dumping is illegal in their county.

You didn't say, but I sure hope you're talking about gray water that has no chemicals added, especially if they contain formaldehyde which is not good for any septic system.  If it's your own property, and assuming the ordinances allow it, why not dig a septic field rather than just dumping it on the ground?

In our previous home during two major droughts the city used partially treated water for landscape watering.  It was not potable but in theory at least any harmful substances had been removed through the treatment process.

ArdraF

I don't know much about this...but why would the grey water have chemicals added?  I have friends who have sustainable homes and they have their grey water going to their gardens, and toilets so it gets used again.  I won't bother with the toilet but would like to use it for gardening.  I imagine it would be good for my garden, we don't use chemicals in our home so it should hurt my veggies.  I guess if I were on my land then I can probably do what I want. 

But I would still have to empty my black tank somehow...not sure how to do that if we just park it somewhere.  I am still learning.

In the county where I live, nothing smaller than a double wide trailer is permitted for living in. Even then, all wheels and axles must be removed. I drain gray water into a separate dry sump due to soil conditions that make septic systems problematic at best. Was suggested by health dept inspector when the septic system was installed but he stated, "Don't quote me on saying that"

What is bizarre about the whole thing is that you can dump the gray water into a septic system, where it basically flows through and out into the ground anyway. True, any bits of food waste or skin cells or whatever will fall to the bottom of the septic and get digested, but 99+% of the gray just runs in one side of the septic and out the other.

It's not about common sense - it's about the law and fitting every water use into pre-defined slots in the legal (code enforcement) system.

don't know much about this...but why would the grey water have chemicals added?

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Sometimes when boondocking the gray tank can get smelly and we occasionally put deodorizer in it.  I can see where some people who don't know better might put other stuff in it.

ArdraF

The additives sold in RV stores for gray water tanks are merely chlorine bleach (sodium hypochlorite) in one form or another.

jdavis3152003 said:

If you are parked on private property, can you use your grey water to garden?  I know some "green" houses are set up to reuse the grey water several times but I have heard that it is good for your garden too.  I know dumping it somewhere other than a dumping station is illegal  but I don't consider this dumping but reusing it.  Thoughts?

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As others have said, it varies enormously by jurisdiction.  In Minnesota there is a statewide law against it.  You can only dump greywater into an approved system.

Also for a family of 4, how often do you think I will have to empty the tanks?

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If everyone takes showers you would have trouble making it more than two days, and even that might be a stretch.

That is what I thought so if we are parked on land, then I have to tow my little home to a dump site every couple of days.  Sounds extremely inconvenient.  Is that what everyone else does?

Many use a blue tank to just haul what you are dumping and leave your trailer parked.

If I remember correctly.  At the Grand Canyon the NPS filters their gray water and reuse it.

If it's your land or have permission from the owner, you can install a septic system. And the effluent from the septic can probably be recycled, depending on local codes. It's all possible, but cost and practicality can vary tremendously.

johnandcarol said:

If I remember correctly.  At the Grand Canyon the NPS filters their gray water and reuse it.

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There are ways to recycle grey water where it is legal to do so.  You have to be very diligent about what soaps, detergents, etc that you use in order to avoid contaminating the grey water with bleach or other types of disinfectants.  Also, in most situations like that, you cannot rinse dishes where the water drains into the grey water storage.  I've seen homes in Europe where the plumbing is is divided, one set for the septic tank, one for the "grey water" storage, these are usually in areas that don't get enough rain during the summer months.  Takes a little getting used to, but it is surprising the amount of water you can "recycle".

jdavis3152003 said:

That is what I thought so if we are parked on land, then I have to tow my little home to a dump site every couple of days.  Sounds extremely inconvenient.  Is that what everyone else does?

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There are many strategies to use.

In most cases people only stay in one spot for 2-3 days, and water disposal is less of a problem.  A degree of conservation and taking showers elsewhere both help.

In practice, some people dump grey water illegally, though I wouldn't recommend doing so. 

Some people use blue boys, that is, portable tanks for wastewater.  They work for short distances and low speeds.  http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/product/thetford-smarttote-and-smarttote-lx-portable-waste-tanks/6073

Sometimes when staying in one spot I've made arrangements with a local septic pumping company to spot a 300 gallon tank on site, which they empty as needed.  It's expensive but works.

A few people have tanks set up in their cars or trucks and some sort of pump arrangement to handle the wastewater.  I've done this too, using a 30 gallon plastic oil barrel in the back of a pickup, and a cheap pump.  More sophisticated approaches are possible.

Some people have their RV set up to use greywater for toilet flushing, as a conservation measure.  This helps somewhat, but is maintenance intensive, as an extra pump is required, and the water must be filtered or the toilet valve will clog.

Gary RV Roamer said:

If it's your land or have permission from the owner, you can install a septic system. And the effluent from the septic can probably be recycled, depending on local codes. It's all possible, but cost and practicality can vary tremendously.

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Sometimes.  Where I live (and yes, we have too many laws here) the zoning laws don't allow construction of a freestanding septic system that doesn't serve any permanent structures.  Usually people in the OP's situation end up building a garage or shed or something, with a bathroom in it, and use that as the zoning basis for putting in a septic system.  Even that can be problematic as some counties only allow a garage or shed as an auxiliary use -- there has to be a house next to it.