This week we worked with a group of about 15 high school students with building a graywater system for a client in East Oakland. We diverted the greywater from the washing machine using a 3-way valve and pipe. The water is now exiting into their garden instead of going to the sewer system, where it would cost money to treat and then end up in the ocean. Instead, the greywater is being used to water fruit trees! This is a very simple system that will save money and water. A typical washing machine uses about 20-30 gallons of water per load. At 3 loads per week, you save 300 to 400 gallons of water a month! There is no easier greywater system out there than a Laundry-to-Landscape system, and best of all, no permit is required.

Don't know where to start? Feel free to give us a call today so we can navigate you to some resources. Don't want to do it yourself? We install simple to complex greywater systems, and we also do rainwater systems and general construction. Don't hesitate to reach out to us! We are here to help.

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info@dig.coop

greywater, graywater, laundry to landscape, water conservation, drought

Heavy rains in California may have tricked us into thinking that our water problems are over. In fact, the heavy rains and aftermath of a 5 year drought are really indicators that the problems are getting worse, and water conservation should now be a way of life in California. Some of the many impacts of the drought include the following:

• California saw an increase in water prices and due to a lack of hydroelectricity, the state actually emitted an increase in 10% in CO2 emissions.
• The Central Valley water aquifers during the past four years lost a third of what they did during the previous 50 years. 
• It’s been the most severe drought since records began in CA began in the late 1800s.
• The drought had a dramatic effect on wildlife and tree species, killing nearly 102 million trees near the Sierra Nevada and putting close to 12 species of fish close to extinction.

The heavy rains also create new problems: we have to find improved ways to manage the huge increase in melting snow and flooding. Drought or deluge, all Californians have to incorporate water management as a way of life.

Greywater catchment systems and rainwater harvesting systems are great way to save on your water bill and reduce water consumption. Dig Cooperative can also help you with flooding by building rain gardens and proper drainage for heavy rains. Check our our services for our full scope of water management services Dig Cooperative provides. 

Water conservation, greywater, rainwater, water management, dig cooperative, graywater