New Greywater Policy [Revised code as of 2/4/10 ]
The revised code mentioned above has been changed. The Laundry to Landscape system still does not need a permit. The single source, collect from the shower and vanity system, now needs a permit from the building department. However everyone seems to be working very hard to make this process as simple as possible.
1603A.1.1 Clothes Washer System and/or Single Fixture System. as of 2/4/10 now changed
A clothes washer system and/or a single fixture system in compliance with all of the following is exempt from the construction permit specified in Section 1.8.4.1 and may be installed or altered without a construction permit:
1. If required, notification has been provided to the Enforcing Agency regarding the proposed location and installation of a graywater irrigation or disposal system. Note: A city, county, or city and county or other local government may, after a public hearing and enactment of an ordinance or resolution, further restrict or prohibit the use of graywater systems. For additional information, see Health and Safety Code Section 18941.7.
2. The design shall allow the user to direct the flow to the irrigation or disposal field or the building sewer. The direction control of the graywater shall be clearly labeled and readily accessible to the user.
3. The installation, change, alteration or repair of the system does not include a potable water connection or a pump and does not affect other building, plumbing, electrical or mechanical components including structural features, egress, fire-life safety, sanitation, potable water supply piping or accessibility.
4. The graywater shall be contained on the site where it is generated.
5. Graywater shall be directed to and contained within an irrigation or disposal field.
6. Ponding or runoff is prohibited and shall be considered a nuisance.
7. Graywater may be released above the ground surface provided at least two (2) inches (51 mm) of mulch, rock, or soil, or a solid shield covers the release point. Other methods which provide equivalent separation are also acceptable.
8. Graywater systems shall be designed to minimize contact with humans and domestic pets.
9. Water used to wash diapers or similarly soiled or infectious garments shall not be used and shall be diverted to the building sewer.
10. Graywater shall not contain hazardous chemicals derived from activities such as cleaning car parts, washing greasy or oily rags, or disposing of waste solutions from home photo labs or similar hobbyist or home occupational activities.
11. Exemption from construction permit requirements of this code shall not be deemed to grant authorization for any graywater system to be installed in a manner that violates other provisions of this code or any other laws or ordinances of the Enforcing Agency.
12. An operation and maintenance manual shall be provided. Directions shall indicate the manual is to remain with the building throughout the life of the system and indicate that upon change of ownership or occupancy, the new owner or tenant shall be notified the structure contains a graywater system.
Original code change of Aug. 2009
1603A.1.1 Clothes Washer System and/or Single Fixture System.
A clothes washer system and/or a single fixture system in compliance with all of the following is exempt from the construction permit specified in Section 1.8.4.1 and may be installed or altered without a construction permit:
1. If required, notification has been provided to the Enforcing Agency regarding the proposed location and installation of a greywater irrigation or disposal system. Note: A city, county, or city and county or other local government may, after a public hearing and enactment of an ordinance or resolution, further restrict or prohibit the use of greywater systems. For additional information, see Health and Safety Code Section 18941.7.
2. The design shall allow the user to direct the flow to the irrigation or disposal field or the building sewer. The direction control of the greywater shall be clearly labeled and readily accessible to the user.
3. The installation, change, alteration or repair of the system does not include a potable water connection or a pump and does not affect other building, plumbing, electrical or mechanical components including structural features, egress, fire-life safety, sanitation, potable water supply piping or accessibility.
4. The greywater shall be contained on the site where it is generated.
5. greywater shall be directed to and contained within an irrigation or disposal field.
6. Ponding or runoff is prohibited and shall be considered a nuisance.
7. greywater may be released above the ground surface provided at least two (2) inches (51 mm) of mulch, rock, or soil, or a solid shield covers the release point. Other methods which provide equivalent separation are also acceptable.
8. greywater systems shall be designed to minimize contact with humans and domestic pets.
9. Water used to wash diapers or similarly soiled or infectious garments shall not be used and shall be diverted to the building sewer.
10. greywater shall not contain hazardous chemicals derived from activities such as cleaning car parts, washing greasy or oily rags, or disposing of waste solutions from home photo labs or similar hobbyist or home occupational activities.
1. Exemption from construction permit requirements of this code shall not be deemed to grant authorization for any greywater system to be installed in a manner that violates other provisions of this code or any other laws or ordinances of the Enforcing Agency.
12. An operation and maintenance manual shall be provided. Directions shall indicate the manual is to remain with the building throughout the life of the system and indicate that upon change of ownership or occupancy, the new owner or tenant shall be notified the structure contains a greywater system.
Finding of Emergency
Statement of reasons
On Aug. 4, the state adopted a "gray water" code that makes it legal and easier for homes to use laundry water and other types of gray water for irrigation purposes. The main goal of the new code is to promote water conservation and relieve stress on California's over-stretched water supplies. The previous code theoretically allowed gray water, but in reality it was all but impossible for a homeowner to comply with code requirements to install a legal system. Saying "California's gray water code has been revolutionized" is not an exaggeration.
What is Allowed?
The new gray water code follows the methodology used successfully in the past several years by Arizona, Texas and New Mexico. At the heart of the code is a tiered permitting system that invokes appropriate performance standards based on system complexity, how much gray water is generated and its intended use. The first three tiers allow the water to only be used for landscape irrigation.
The fourth tier
requires treatment of the gray water for limited use indoors, such as for flushing toilets. Although the state has made gray water legal, the code does allow for local jurisdictions to make the code more restrictive. The simplest tier allows a gray water system from a single source, such as a clothes washer or shower. Although a permit is not required for these simple systems, they must meet basic safety precautions that are in the code.
The most applicable criteria of the single source system are that no more than 250 gallons of gray water per day are allowed, and the gray water must be discharged under a 2-inch cover i.e., mulch, hay, gravel, soil, etc.. Gray water is not allowed to pond or run off the property and must be diverted back to the sewer or septic system during the rainy season so that it does not mix with stormwater flowing to our creeks, wetlands and rivers.
No gray water system can be connected to a drinking water system without an air gap or a device to prevent the gray water from flowing back into the potable water system.
The easiest, least expensive, and most common gray water systems involve using the water from a clothes washing machine. The water discharged from clothes washing machines is generally diverted directly to the landscape or to a small barrel where gravity is used to drain the water to the landscaped area. For a family of four, this should produce at least 120 gallons per week.
Thanks to
Ron Duncan, Go Green, Sept. 5, 2009: Wider use of gray water is now possible
By RON DUNCANPosted: 09/05/2009 01:30:54 AM PDT
. Health and Safety Code Section 18941.7 is added to permit a city, county, or
other local agency to adopt, after a public hearing and enactment of an
ordinance resolution, graywater building standards that are more restrictive
than those adopted by the department, or to prohibit the use of graywater
entirely.
The revised code mentioned above has been changed. The Laundry to Landscape system still does not need a permit. The single source, collect from the shower and vanity system, now needs a permit from the building department. However everyone seems to be working very hard to make this process as simple as possible.
1603A.1.1 Clothes Washer System and/or Single Fixture System. as of 2/4/10 now changed
A clothes washer system and/or a single fixture system in compliance with all of the following is exempt from the construction permit specified in Section 1.8.4.1 and may be installed or altered without a construction permit:
1. If required, notification has been provided to the Enforcing Agency regarding the proposed location and installation of a graywater irrigation or disposal system. Note: A city, county, or city and county or other local government may, after a public hearing and enactment of an ordinance or resolution, further restrict or prohibit the use of graywater systems. For additional information, see Health and Safety Code Section 18941.7.
2. The design shall allow the user to direct the flow to the irrigation or disposal field or the building sewer. The direction control of the graywater shall be clearly labeled and readily accessible to the user.
3. The installation, change, alteration or repair of the system does not include a potable water connection or a pump and does not affect other building, plumbing, electrical or mechanical components including structural features, egress, fire-life safety, sanitation, potable water supply piping or accessibility.
4. The graywater shall be contained on the site where it is generated.
5. Graywater shall be directed to and contained within an irrigation or disposal field.
6. Ponding or runoff is prohibited and shall be considered a nuisance.
7. Graywater may be released above the ground surface provided at least two (2) inches (51 mm) of mulch, rock, or soil, or a solid shield covers the release point. Other methods which provide equivalent separation are also acceptable.
8. Graywater systems shall be designed to minimize contact with humans and domestic pets.
9. Water used to wash diapers or similarly soiled or infectious garments shall not be used and shall be diverted to the building sewer.
10. Graywater shall not contain hazardous chemicals derived from activities such as cleaning car parts, washing greasy or oily rags, or disposing of waste solutions from home photo labs or similar hobbyist or home occupational activities.
11. Exemption from construction permit requirements of this code shall not be deemed to grant authorization for any graywater system to be installed in a manner that violates other provisions of this code or any other laws or ordinances of the Enforcing Agency.
12. An operation and maintenance manual shall be provided. Directions shall indicate the manual is to remain with the building throughout the life of the system and indicate that upon change of ownership or occupancy, the new owner or tenant shall be notified the structure contains a graywater system.
Original code change of Aug. 2009
1603A.1.1 Clothes Washer System and/or Single Fixture System.
A clothes washer system and/or a single fixture system in compliance with all of the following is exempt from the construction permit specified in Section 1.8.4.1 and may be installed or altered without a construction permit:
1. If required, notification has been provided to the Enforcing Agency regarding the proposed location and installation of a greywater irrigation or disposal system. Note: A city, county, or city and county or other local government may, after a public hearing and enactment of an ordinance or resolution, further restrict or prohibit the use of greywater systems. For additional information, see Health and Safety Code Section 18941.7.
2. The design shall allow the user to direct the flow to the irrigation or disposal field or the building sewer. The direction control of the greywater shall be clearly labeled and readily accessible to the user.
3. The installation, change, alteration or repair of the system does not include a potable water connection or a pump and does not affect other building, plumbing, electrical or mechanical components including structural features, egress, fire-life safety, sanitation, potable water supply piping or accessibility.
4. The greywater shall be contained on the site where it is generated.
5. greywater shall be directed to and contained within an irrigation or disposal field.
6. Ponding or runoff is prohibited and shall be considered a nuisance.
7. greywater may be released above the ground surface provided at least two (2) inches (51 mm) of mulch, rock, or soil, or a solid shield covers the release point. Other methods which provide equivalent separation are also acceptable.
8. greywater systems shall be designed to minimize contact with humans and domestic pets.
9. Water used to wash diapers or similarly soiled or infectious garments shall not be used and shall be diverted to the building sewer.
10. greywater shall not contain hazardous chemicals derived from activities such as cleaning car parts, washing greasy or oily rags, or disposing of waste solutions from home photo labs or similar hobbyist or home occupational activities.
1. Exemption from construction permit requirements of this code shall not be deemed to grant authorization for any greywater system to be installed in a manner that violates other provisions of this code or any other laws or ordinances of the Enforcing Agency.
12. An operation and maintenance manual shall be provided. Directions shall indicate the manual is to remain with the building throughout the life of the system and indicate that upon change of ownership or occupancy, the new owner or tenant shall be notified the structure contains a greywater system.
Finding of Emergency
Statement of reasons
On Aug. 4, the state adopted a "gray water" code that makes it legal and easier for homes to use laundry water and other types of gray water for irrigation purposes. The main goal of the new code is to promote water conservation and relieve stress on California's over-stretched water supplies. The previous code theoretically allowed gray water, but in reality it was all but impossible for a homeowner to comply with code requirements to install a legal system. Saying "California's gray water code has been revolutionized" is not an exaggeration.
What is Allowed?
The new gray water code follows the methodology used successfully in the past several years by Arizona, Texas and New Mexico. At the heart of the code is a tiered permitting system that invokes appropriate performance standards based on system complexity, how much gray water is generated and its intended use. The first three tiers allow the water to only be used for landscape irrigation.
The fourth tier
requires treatment of the gray water for limited use indoors, such as for flushing toilets. Although the state has made gray water legal, the code does allow for local jurisdictions to make the code more restrictive. The simplest tier allows a gray water system from a single source, such as a clothes washer or shower. Although a permit is not required for these simple systems, they must meet basic safety precautions that are in the code.
The most applicable criteria of the single source system are that no more than 250 gallons of gray water per day are allowed, and the gray water must be discharged under a 2-inch cover i.e., mulch, hay, gravel, soil, etc.. Gray water is not allowed to pond or run off the property and must be diverted back to the sewer or septic system during the rainy season so that it does not mix with stormwater flowing to our creeks, wetlands and rivers.
No gray water system can be connected to a drinking water system without an air gap or a device to prevent the gray water from flowing back into the potable water system.
The easiest, least expensive, and most common gray water systems involve using the water from a clothes washing machine. The water discharged from clothes washing machines is generally diverted directly to the landscape or to a small barrel where gravity is used to drain the water to the landscaped area. For a family of four, this should produce at least 120 gallons per week.
Thanks to
Ron Duncan, Go Green, Sept. 5, 2009: Wider use of gray water is now possible
By RON DUNCANPosted: 09/05/2009 01:30:54 AM PDT
. Health and Safety Code Section 18941.7 is added to permit a city, county, or
other local agency to adopt, after a public hearing and enactment of an
ordinance resolution, graywater building standards that are more restrictive
than those adopted by the department, or to prohibit the use of graywater
entirely.
Graywater code revised. Simple systems that involve cutting into a buildings plumbing now need a permit.
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