Christmas came early for me this past October, because I received a gift that I’ve wanted for a very, very long time. No, it won’t fit in a stocking; it’s a brand new Laundry to Landscape watering system for my front yard!
As all Californians know, water is a precious resource. It looks like our Golden State is heading into its fourth year of extreme drought. And on average, about 50 percent of California’s residential water is used for irrigating plants and lawns. That’s a lot of water! Why not safely reuse some of our gently used household water to feed our landscapes? This will lower our water bills, save potable water for other uses, and cut back on pollution. Win, win, win!
My friends at A2C Construction Inc. arrived promptly at 8am to get started, and by the end of the day the water from my washing machine was watering my plants. Easy peasy! Now, each time my washer runs (which, with five people in my household, is often), 14 gallons of greywater are automatically piped from my washing machine, flowing into my front yard through special emitters and filling four mulch basins (pictured above). The water then sinks directly into the soil, watering the surrounding plants.
And if I need to do a load of laundry using non-plant safe chemicals, or if I’m concerned about overwatering because of heavy rains (if only!), I can easily pull a lever to divert the water back into the city sewer. The system is flexible, and couldn’t be simpler to use. No city permit is required, and as long as your landscape is elevated no more than a few feet higher than your machine, no extra pumps are required.
Are you interested in helping California to save water by installing a greywater system at your house? Contact me!