Neighborhood to use treated wastewater for lawns

shee at

eew.

That sounds shitty.

Treated Wastewater (Reclaim Water) is actually the best way to irrigate your lawn. The main difference between reclaim water and drinking water is that the reclaim water contains nitrogen & phosphorus. Look on a bag of fertilizer and you'll notice that nitrogen & phosphorus are what is used to make your lawn healthy. When using reclaim you will need little, if any, fertilizer.

How much does it cost to do this as compared to existing costs?

Best use for treated water I've seen is the watering of golf courses. The water should be safe and in most cases would be delivered in a separate system not connected in any way to your regular water supply.

Treated water is typically discharged into streams or rivers at any rate pollution is not an issue. Raleigh is designing such a system and expects to have it in place by 2010.

"Treated water could ease Raleigh's drought woes--

The $15 million project would extend 10 miles of pipeline from the city's Neuse River wastewater treatment plant in southern Wake County to Walnut Creek Amphitheatre, Walnut Creek softball complex and the Raleigh Country Club. Other nearby businesses or neighborhoods, likely in the development process, could tap in." http://www.newsobserver.com/167/story/566906....

See also: Reuse of Treated Municipal Waste Water for Irrigation --http://www.ars.usda.gov/Rese arch/docs.htm?docid=13922

many septic systems have been using a version of this method for years. Ever notice the green grass over a good drain field?

eew? If you're drinking tap water or coffee from starucks or the water you take a bath with ... where do you think it's coming from? A portion of it is the treated waste water from the cities up stream from where your municipality is drawing it's water from.
I used be worried about well water.. after seeing what gets dumped back in for the town downstream to drink I'm now far less concerned.

lawnguy wrote:

many septic systems have been using a version of this method for years. Ever notice the green grass over a good drain field?

Yup, my first house had such a system and talk about grass, it fed pine and spruce trees I planted that are now huge trees. Makes me wish I had kept that house on an acre of land with lots of woods and 30' trees growing in the front by the road.

lawnguy wrote:

many septic systems have been using a version of this method for years. Ever notice the green grass over a good drain field?

Yeah, for a few years I couldn't get any grass to grow--no green thumb here---anyhow my neighbor back his big truck over the septic system (tank) and pushed the top in of which we didn't know--until later, but grass started growing and then i had to start mowing...oh well, be careful what ya wish for, ehhh?

Satyam wrote:

<quoted text>
Yup, my first house had such a system and talk about grass, it fed pine and spruce trees I planted that are now huge trees. Makes me wish I had kept that house on an acre of land with lots of woods and 30' trees growing in the front by the road.

I may have to drive by where I used to live and see if the landlord ever got the system fixed..Last I heard..I moved shortly after the incident--the septic water had gotten into the well water. Peoui! Hopefully the dump has been bulldozed and redone. It was out on Old Mars Hill Hwy. I get to the Tavern out there every now and then, but no further than that.

god sent wrote:

<quoted text>....It did happen. One of the uppidy developments in cary had a family who just found out that they had been getting their water from the waste water lines to their taps!..Sounds to me that they may have made a plummer mad or something and he swiched their lines...

Well, you know the old bumper sticker S**T HAPPENS. That's cute uppidy developments. What does that mean anyhow? The term uppity used to refer to low caste folks thinking themselves to be better than their station in life. I think the folks that you may be referring to are not, in fact uppity at all but already up there in the social and economic register. Yeah, maybe they did bug some plumber. LOL

Recycled or reclaimed wastewater is used more often then most people realize. Less than 10% of the earths water is fresh drinkable water. The key piece of information that people need to understand is that when using these types of systems it is critical to ensure proper maintenance is being done. Just like a car, if you don't add gas or change the oil, that $20,000+ investment will not work. The same applies for any wastewater treatment system. As long as the system is being maintained properly and a wastewater approved disinfection process (NOT SWIMMING POOL CHLORINE) is used, it is safer and cleaner than most lakes, rivers or ponds. Check out more info at www.norweco.com .

I have it in my da'hood. Been using it for years on the lawn and cars. Don't see or nor smell any difference. However, so my kids don't drink from the hose, I use only yellow hoses on the grey water line, i.e., don't eat yellow snow and don't drink from the yellow hose. It is about 30% cheaper than tap water, and I'm not charged for "out" and/or sewage fee usage.