B.C. drought: could bath water be the answer?

Every day, gallons of greywater from sinks and baths get flushed down the drain. But according to one expert, a lot of that wasted bathwater is safe to use elsewhere and would be resource-smartat a time when many fear a potentialCalifornia-style drought may move north of the border to B.C.

• California drought crisis could come to B.C., says UBC professor
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"It's logical that one should be able to take the samebath waterthat the kids just bathedin, and be able to use it safely,"says Troy Vassos, a UBC adjunct professor of civilengineeringand principal with Vancouver-basedGolder Associates company thatspecializes in grey water reclamation.

Vassos says a person uses 100 litresof water on averagedaily between bathing and using the toilet, which is a waste of theresource. He wantsmunicipalitiesto implement a system whereby grey water can be used in toilets and to water lawns.

"It's safe. Eventually you'll get rain water that will help dilute the soaps, but the soaps will dilute in the soil."

Most B.C. municipalities not doing it

Usingrecycled water rather thanfresh waterfor secondary needswould help considerably with thewater restrictions across Metro Vancouver and theFraserValley,he says.But while it may sound like a simple solution,current bylaw regulations in most B.C. municipalities won't allow it.

"Currently in B.C. we have plumbing codes that allow us to have dual plumbing. What we lack from a health perspective is a policy and framework that can help municipalities be able to safely use this non-potable water."

He says the current plumbing code allowsmunicipalities to accommodate that, but"the problem is it's up to the municipalities to adopt that code for use.

"Many municipalities are not very familiar with the idea of water reclamation so it's not done."

He points to Nanaimo as one of the exceptions. The city has implemented an installation process allowing residents who want a grey water system to have it inspected by city officials to ensure itfollows building code guidelines.

Vassos says he wants the reuse of greywater to bemore widely acceptedacross the province.

"It's a very safe and reasonable thing to do if you're trying to conserve water. That effort alone could cut your water consumption by a third so it's a fairly reasonable thing to do."

To hear more, listen to the audio labelled: How to reuse your grey water.