Dumping gray Water on the ground?

[windrider]

There was a thread a while back entitled "Why do people do this?" It started by mentioning someone dumping gray water on the ground. Now I don't want to start this again, but instead, inform everyone that reads this, of a show on Public Television entitled "Ask This Old House" Yesterday they had an episode, where in California, they rerouted a ladies home washing machine waste water, and used it for an irrigation system. Said it was legal and encouraged there. Also said they could use sink and shower water also. Found it very interesting after the 200 plus replies to the other thread, and sometimes heated discussion.

I'm not agreeing, or disagreeing, just stating what I saw on public television, and I'm sure they don't have the funds to make stuff up.

[DDC]

A lot of gardeners use dish water for controlling bugs and fungus.

[Denny in Los Lunas]

we use all our gray houshold water on our lawn and flowerbeds, shower, washingmachine are toe only two, works great for us

[Jeep4Two]

There is a significant difference in using the gray water from clothes washing and what might normally be contained in gray water from normal camper usage. Most detergents used in clothes washing are phosphate free and dispersed over a wide are (lawn irrigation) won't pose a problem. I can't speak to bug or fungus control.

I also wonder if that gray water was going into a cistern that also caught rain water (further diluting the gray). I seem to recall a similar show (may have been TOH) where rain and gray were combined for irrigation purposes.

[papap]

What do you put in your camperbgrey water that is not in the grey water at home? Only thing in our camper grey water would be bath soap, shampoo and dish soap. Oh and maybe some tooth paste.

[Jeep4Two]

I think the concern I would have Is residual food waste primarily. Antibacterial soaps won be another. If I were using gray water collection at home I would not use sink water in that system.

At the cg the concern would be the concentration levels along with antibacterial soaps and residual food waste.

[papap]

Ok. But the post above said they used house sink water also. People use antibacterial soap in shower and in bathrooms to ash their hands. So the same thing that is in camper water would be in house grey water. Probably less stuff in camper water. You see lots of people walking dish and their hands outside at campgrounds. Then dumping the water on the ground.

[RubenZ]

Exactly. I never understood the whole fear of dumping grey water. Its like people that use outside showers. same crap.

[trudinator]

Main reason it isn't acceptable at camgrounds is due to the odor. My gray water tank gets pretty odorous because I use it like a regular kitchen sink. Bits of food, grease, etc., go down the drain, then it sits in there and "cooks" and by the end of the week it is down right nasty. Imagine if everyone did it. It could get real ugly in a hurry. As for using gray water from washing machines, etc., I don't think that would be an issue. Soaps are phosphate free.

[GilnJo]

I've been a water/wastewater engineer for 30 years, and I am currently a manager of a California water utility, and a long time camper. It's true that gray water systems are used in single family homes for outdoor irrigation in California. Based on my knowledge and experience, I see no problem in disposing RV gray water on the ground; BUT as with most things in real life - all things in moderation, and with consideration for one's fellow campers. I've only reccently upgraded to a travel trailer with a 30 gallon gray water tank, after 15+ years in a pop up. From my pop up days I have an 8 gallon gray water tote w/ wheels I would empty about once daily, in an out of the way area. I still carry it when dry camping and I need to draw down the TT gray water tank. I also minimize food waste in the dish water by wiping away food waste from the dishes into the trash before washing them in the sink.