What does an El Niño season mean for the drought? Forecasts predict a wet, and warm winter. Big storms will help replenish reservoirs and ground water, but without cold enough temperatures to rebuild snowpack, California’s drought won’t be resolved with one wet winter. Even so, the drought has had an amazing impact on urban residents’ awareness of water use, and we have filled up classes and events that we’ve offered to help people learn strategies for water conservation.
We’ve focused our efforts on greywater systems, because they can be simple, affordable, safe, and legal. They don’t rely on rain falling to irrigate thirsty plants in the landscape. Well-designed greywater systems offer a set of other benefits:
- They reduce the risk of flooding by creating a more consistent source of water flowing into the soil. Like a wet sponge, soil can absorb more water when it is already moist.
- They can reduce the risk of wildfire, by keeping vegetation healthy and green around our urban homes.
- They can recharge groundwater if more greywater is flowing to the landscape than plants will use.
We have one final class focused on the simplest kind of greywater system, laundry to landscape, this Saturday, 10/31 from 1-3 PM at the Ecology Center. Get your ticket online ahead of time!
With your own L2L system you can irrigate your landscape each time you do laundry, saving you water, time, and resources. Experienced instructor Brian Munson with Greywater Action will lead you step-by-step through the design process, tailoring a system to fit your home. This system is legal to install without a permit by following 12 basic guidelines covered in this class.
In this class you will learn:
- How to design a system for your home and landscape
- How to build a system — you’ll create a “mock-up” of a real system with real greywater parts
- What parts you’ll need for your home
- How much greywater you produce and how many plants you can water
- What soaps and detergents are “greywater friendly”
This class has a limited size, get your ticket online ahead of time to reserve your spot. We hope to see you there!
