A long overdue update

So much has happened over the last 12 months, now just catching up on this website.

Firstly it has been an amazing winter, spring and summer in the US midwest. I moved from Australia in December 2011 (sadly the move was rushed forward due to a death in the immediate family), expecting to see lots of snow, and instead made it through a very dry winter, and now into a hot, humid, yet still dry summer.

Driving across from Ohio to Arizona, to present another training course for the Watershed Management Group; talking with distributors and resellers along the way, it is clear that water is an emerging issue everywhere. While climate change (if it is happening!) may have an impact, population growth  and lack of infrastructure development are the predominant factors in water scarcity

Coming from Australia, where drought is simply a way of life and you have to make the most of every drop, where infrastructure is built to capture as much water as possible, and where drought can last 15 years, followed by up to 5 years of rains then another drought, it is a learning experience to now live in a country where water infrastructure simply tries to cope from once year to the next. Even ‘wet’ areas such as New Hampshire and surrounds quickly enter drought and water rationing events during summer, if the years’ spring rains fail.

Nothing has changed with the core principles of graywater reuse, other than new experiences continue our education. In addition to our normal graywater efforts, we have been receiving many inquiries from conservation minded businesses, looking to reduce and reuse wherever possible.

Consequently we have been consulting in more advanced techniques such as combined water source irrigation systems, such as automated graywater, rainwater and potable water collection and then irrigation via a single irrigation method (dripperline).

The most pleasing aspect for me is that such systems are turning out to be more cost effective than traditional irrigation methods. Just like residential irrigation systems, it now costs less to be green than to do it the old way, even without factoring in the cost of water now or in the future.

I apologize for the delay in updating this website. The move from Australia and dealing with resource poor utility companies, government departments, immigraiton etc etc has been very time consuming. Plus we have been developing new products to suit the differing needs across the US.

 

Happenings

Despite best efforts, uploading information to this website is taking longer than expected. HOPEFULLY it will be readable by May 7.

So much has been happening:

Paul presented the advanced greywater Iirrigation course for the Watershed Management Group in Tucson at the beginning of April. WMG should be congratulated on their efforts in bring together a range of presenters. Brad Lancaster’s examples and workshop involving kitchen waste water infiltrators was fascinating.

Leigh Jerrard of Greywater Corps in Los Angeles has some fantastic work comming up – Leigh will be featured in a few upcoming blogs. If you are in LA and considering greywater re-use, call Leigh, he is the best!

We can now add a new country to our export list. Curacao (Netherland Antilles) will shortly be the proud recipent of a Bed & Breakfast retreat with an integrated greywater and rainwater irrigation facility.

On the development front, new filter alarms are in testing. An exciting event for us.

Installation continue apace in Australia. Despite the heavy (almost drought breaking) rains last summer, the high cost of water in South East Australia continues to drive the water saving and irrigation market.

An exciting new project is soon to start in San Louis Obispo for the California Conservation Corp. Wendy has done a fantastic job and it looks like this commecial sized greywater irrigation system will be installed soon.

This is just a fraction of what is happening right now.

 

The Greywater Guide: A new resource for the greywater community.

This guide was extremely well received (even called “The greatest graywater gardening guide – ever” by Todd Jarvis at the Rainbow water coalition).

However the guide is discusses many proprietory systems, so much so that goverment agencies were at times reluctant to reference the documenton the web, for fear of promoting vendor products.

This website will focus on methods and techniques, providing a modern, scientific approach to greywater re-use.