According to a March 5 university news release, the team (pictured at right), including Larry Roesner and Sybil Sharvelle, both professors at the university’s Urban Water Center, have begun the first year of a three-year, $370,000 graywater study supported by the Water Environment Research Foundation.
As part of the study, the researchers are sampling soil, plants and water at homes with graywater systems in California, Arizona, Texas and Colorado — all states where governments have taken interest in graywater systems or where regulatory processes have been established.
Four of the homes in the study have had graywater systems in place for more than five years; four additional homes will have new systems installed before spring 2009.
“By applying scientific analyses of plant health, soil quality and microbial populations, we will be able to shed better light on whether it is safe to irrigate landscape for long periods with graywater,” Sharvelle said.
Drew McAvoy, environmental engineer for Procter & Gamble, is chair of the steering team overseeing this project. He is quoted as saying, “This study will provide scientifically sound information for assessing the safety of graywater reuse in household irrigation. Results from this study will also help consumer product manufacturers determine appropriate product use and disposal recommendations for graywater reuse systems.”
To read the full news release, click here.
