Grey water!  This was being used regularly to water the mango. The term applies to used water from washing machines, sinks, showers and bathtubs.  Quite a few years ago during an ongoing drought I advocated it being pumped on lawns. Okay, if you use an eco-friendly detergent it should be low in phosphorous and salt and should have a neutral pH.

There are some cautions to apply to the use of grey water.  Never use any water in which nappies or clothing containing contaminants have been washed.  Hands should be washed after digging in soil that has been irrigated with grey water.  Children should never be allowed to play in soil  irrigated with grey water. Do not use grey water on vegetables or fruit trees.  Untreated water coming from laundries and bathrooms can be contaminated with bacteria found in fats, oils, food particles, hair, mucous, urine and faecal matter.

Although it is legal in throughout Australia to use grey water, check with your council regarding its requirements.  My concerns over long-term use of grey water in the garden start with detergent build up  in the soil – how would earthworms like it?  

Although, it is common for  new homes to be built with water tanks and recycling facilities for storm water, there was a time, not too long ago, that councils wouldn’t even consider the idea of water storage tanks as they were considered to be a health hazard. Diseases such as typhoid were considered to be one of the dangers of alternative water conservation. In fact, I have a huge water storage tank under my house, containing storm water which under council instruction has to be slowly pumped to the street.  That was only ten years ago – what a waste!

THIS WEEK