Reclaiming WasteWater & Gray Water
The Pima County Regional Wastewater Reclamation Department (PCRWRD) provides design, management, and maintenance of the sanitary sewer system for all of Pima County, including the conveyance system and treatment system. The department manages three metropolitan wastewater treatment plants and eight outlying facilities. If you have any questions about Pima County's wastewater treatment facilities, you can contact them at (520)740-6500.
Because we do reclaim sewer water, there are several items that you should never put or pour down your drain. These include ordinary kitchen grease, automotive fluids of any type, pesticides, solvents of any type, and other hazardous or caustic chemicals. You can get rid of these items through the counties hazardous waste collection program. You can call (520)744-7649 for further information.
Pima County defines gray Water (aka: grey water, sullage) as wastewater that is created from washing laundry, bathing, brushing your teeth, etc.. Kitchen sink, dishwasher, and toilet water is not gray water. It is your disposed water, with no fecal matter, urine, or kitchen waste in it. Water from your toilet is called blackwater. Since Pima County utilizes a waste treatment program, you could just let your disposed water wash down the drain. But, if you want to save money on your water bills, you might want to consider using a gray water reclamation program of your own.
Pima County residents may reuse gray water on their property as long as they follow the conditions outlined in Pima County's --> Using Gray Water brochure. Tax credits may also be available for qualifying gray water systems, see --> Corporate and Individual Income Tax Credit for Water Conservation Systems.
Basically, these conditions state that you can only use gray water in a residential setting, and for the purpose of drip or flood irrigation systems. There is a residential limit of no more than 400 gallons of gray water use per day.
Greywater can be used to irrigate fruit trees, groundcovers, and ornamental trees and shrubs. Salt-tolerant plants, such as oleander, bermuda grass, date palms, and native desert plants are well suited to irrigation with greywater. Sandy soils are less vulnerable to damage than clay soils because they drain better. It is advised that you use tap water occasionally to leach out accumulated salts.
If you would like further information, call (520) 628-6733 or toll free (888) 271-9302.