A drop in the ocean

Water: an odourless, tasteless, transparent liquid that is colourless in small amounts; the most abundant liquid on the planet covering 70 per cent of the Earth's surface; essential for life; consumption rising; recycling essential. Lora Lee Brown, marketing manager of Water Dynamics, reveals how grey water recycling and simple conservation techniques can save companies more than just the odd drop.


Sustainability for the future is on the government’s agenda, but its strategy

is focussed heavily on reducing fossil fuel consumption and global warming,

with water taking something of a back seat. Yet water is arguably more important

than energy, especially for biodiversity, food production and public health.

And, like energy, water supplies are finite.

A nation of guzzlers

As a nation we have become great water guzzlers, and the demands that modern

society makes upon the water supply mean the water issue will not go away. Between

1989 and 1991, no fewer than 178 drought orders were issued. Even without drought,

there would be cause for worry. In the UK, water consumption in households has

risen by 70 per cent since 1970. Yet we still regard water as a cheap and abundant

commodity.

In January 1992, the United Nations held a world water conference in Dublin

which tried to promote water conservation, prompting various governments, including

ours to act.

The Water Supply Regulations in England and Wales and equivalent bylaws have

put in place some very simple and practical water supply solutions. All newly

installed WC’s must use a six litre maximum flush compared with 7.5 litres and

above previously. Sensible when you think that the 20 per cent water savings

will benefit both the metered customer and the environment. Also, dual flush

toilets are permitted with a smaller flush no more than two-thirds of the maximum.

It is certainly a start. However, if the government and water industries are

serious about their stated objective of ‘sustainable development’ then there

is still much work to be done in the water conservation department. It is the

government’s responsibility to educate society about water conservation.

For instance, in addition to the simple water conservation techniques already

mentioned, there are two other sensible and easy ways in which those responsible

for designing and building might consider conserving and managing water: harvesting

rainwater from the roof, filtering and storing it for later use and recycling

water that has already been used (commonly referred to as ‘grey water recycling’).

Unfortunately the government has left it to the vendors of such technologies

to blow their own horns. And, unfortunately, UK businesses are traditionally

sceptical of the salesman who comes knocking on the door with a piece of equipment

guaranteed to save money.

Grey water recycling

Water Dynamics Ltd, one of the leaders in grey water recycling, is the only

United Kingdom Accreditation Service-accredited manufacturer of water recovery

systems.

Water Dynamics’ marketing manager Lora Lee Brown, acknowledges the current

situation, “Unfortunately we struggle with public perception of grey water

recycling from communal sources,” she says. The argument for using grey

water for flushing toilets is strong when you consider that water from the mains

used for flushing toilets is of drinking quality. It clearly does not have to

be of such a high standard, although equally, it should not pose a health hazard.

The office of Water Reclamation of the City of Los Angeles completed a project

on grey water re-use, which involved looking at eight test systems. Health worries

centred on the use of water for garden watering rather than flushing the toilet,

but the findings were that grey water does not raise the health risks so long

as reasonable sanitary practices are followed.

Water Dynamics units are as simple as ‘fit and forget’. Regardless of the size

of your building, if it uses water – particularly in large quantities – Water

Dynamics claims it can design a bespoke accredited system that will achieve

a 40 per cent saving in water consumption: the greater the use, the greater

the saving! Maintenance requirements are minimal and the units are claimed to

have reasonable pay back periods.

The system makes no attempt to balance or synchronise grey water supply and

demand; instead, it ensures that either grey water or mains water will always

be available; continuity of supply to the toilet is maintained independently

of grey water production, by the system automatically switching to mains water

if there is not enough grey water. If there is excess grey water it is automatically

discharged to the drain.

Water storage capacity in the recycling system is only what is needed for normal

toilet operation, calculated at 180 litres (40 gallons) for a typical day. By

storing only a limited amount of water, and by storing that water for only a

short period of time, it has been possible to eliminate traditional engineering,

hygiene and economic problems.

How does it work in practice? Grey water is pumped from a storage reservoir

to a header tank, known as the ‘Break Tank’, which incorporates the mains water

supply mechanism and also provides a gravity feed to toilets. The Break Tank

has been designed so that the grey water cannot contaminate mains supply.

Water supplies from the storage reservoir are chemically treated before they

enter the Break Tank by passing through a dispenser of slow dissolving bromine

tablets. This process provides yearlong controlled dosage without adding more

chemicals to the environment than is used for lavatory bowl cleaning. Under

normal conditions, Water Dynamic’s grey water recycling system is self-cleaning.

A high quality filter is used to purify the water to between 60 to 80 microns.

After filtration, a brominator or disinfectant chamber will provide residual

disinfectant to the system ensuring that Legionella, E. coli, organic

growth and other bacterial attack are all catered for.

The filter elements receive a spray of disinfected water from the break tank

after every pumping cycle. This keeps the filter chamber fresh and hygienic,

prevents saponification in the filter pores and goes on to produce on-going

disinfection of the water in the storage reservoir. These processes keep the

filter elements effective for month after month of continuous, maintenance free

use.

Water Dynamics have been fortunate enough to be involved in extensive water

recycling trials and pilot schemes with water companies and developers resulting

in WIMLAS/BRE accreditation. It is great mile stone because NHBC have now stipulated

that they will not cover any non-accredited water recycling systems.

Brown: “In all honesty, with something as new as water recycling there

are no text books with all the answers, but through extensive trials with BSRIA,

CIRIA, BRE, Cranfield University, Wessex Water, Gleeson Homes, Crest Homes,

Three Valleys Water to name but a few, we have inevitably learned and adapted

our systems to overcome teething problems.”

Public perception

It also appears that public awareness and demand for water-efficient devices

is growing. According to Peter Casey of Gleeson Homes, “Water efficiency

was rated a very important factor among potential home-buyers in our latest

survey – 62 per cent of potential house-buyers said they would pay more for

a home with water saving features that offered long term cost savings.”

With so many water saving devises and methods available to us, one has to wonder

why the government and water companies aren’t making it a necessary part of

sustainability for our future. By offering significant incentives/grants to

those companies willing to invest in the recycling technology, the government

has it within their power to ensure that grey water recycling becomes an integral

part of our society.

Grey and rain water systems are probably the easiest and most environmentally

friendly systems; however, other choices are available:

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