Integrating Greywater System into North Park Home.
By Christina Chomut
May 8, 2011
San Diego County imports 90 percent of its water. Twenty percent of California’s energy goes to moving said water. An average American uses approximately 150 gallons of palatable water a day and half of that water is used for irrigation. As a local resident, what can be done to offset 50 percent, or approximately 75 gallons, of an individual’s daily water usage?
Permaculture designer Candace Vanderhoff has a solution. The North Park resident recently implemented one of the first permitted greywater systems in the City of San Diego to pave the way for alternative water waste and irrigation. A greywater system simply uses wastewater generated from domestic activities such as laundry, dishwashing and bathing and recycles it on-site for landscape irrigation and constructed wetlands.
For one person, the shower and laundry annual capture rate is over 14,000 gallons and for a family of four, it is over 58,000 gallons – all available to irrigate landscape, according to Vanderhoff.
“What I am doing is setting up native gardens, succulents, rain gardens and working to reduce our potable water use,” said Vanderhoff. “This (greywater system) is really going to help. I have trees in place and now my shower water will be going to irrigate 11 fruit trees, berry bushes and herbs.”
In addition to her sapote, cherimoya, guava, almond, apricot, plum, banana and avocado trees, Vanderhoff grows gogi berries, rosemary, strawberries, artichoke, raspberries and a variety of other medicinal herbs and vegetables on her three quarter acre plot of land.
Prior to integrating a greywater system into her home, Vanderhoff had been utilizing rainwater collection for years through rain harvesting and rainwater capture. According to the alternative water waste specialist, multiple options are available for rainwater collection including poly water storage tanks, decorative urn water storage barrels, underground water storage and galvanized water storage tanks. The benefits of rainwater harvesting include a reduction in municipal water cost, improvements to landscape health, a reduction on the city’s demand on potable water systems and chlorine-free water, according to Vanderhoff.
Vanderhoff has five tanks on her property, all currently full and holding a total of 1,370 gallons of rainwater. During the last rainfall, Vanderhoff’s tanks were overflowing, with the overflow being sent to irrigate the canyon she is restoring on her property.
Vanderhoff integrated a greywater system and rainwater capture into her space – not only for its practical and sustainable function, but because the local resident believes in the intrinsic value of integrated water systems.
“Not only do I believe in it, but I invested myself to such a degree that I started a company because of it.”
Vanderhoff’s business, RainThanks & Greywater, was established in 2009 with a mission to create a regenerative water culture by reusing, capturing and conserving water for a vibrant and healthy lifestyle. In addition to specializing in water capture, RainThanks & Greywater also works with clients to install edible and drought tolerant landscapes.
The North Park-based business offers free workshops and tutorials on alternative water conservation and irrigation on Sundays and Wednesdays from 10 am to 2 pm. Those interested in a private greywater or rainwater harvesting consultations should contact Vanderhoff at (619) 807-9193.
“What I am seeing is a trend in the people I work with,” said Vanderhoff. “People are moving into smaller homes – about a thousand square foot spaces – and they are fixing them up and are integrating edible landscapes, rainwater collection or greywater systems and they are absolutely in love with their space.”
The first thing Vanderhoff had to do in acquiring a permit for her greywater system was to contact the environmental health department.
“Luckily, I found Tom Lambert, Program Coordinator Land and Water Quality Division Department of Environmental Health,” said Vanderhoff. “Tom worked extensively on greywater management and a greywater system guide for the city about ten years ago. Now, the Environmental Health Department has a ten step criteria you need to meet in accordance with permitting greywater systems in the home. It is all sensible – nothing extreme…With the new code they require a permit for the shower, but not for the washing machine system.”
The current California Greywater Codes can be found on the RainThanks & Greywater website, www.rainthanks.com, along with additional information about the company and its services.
“I could not have done this project without microbiologist Larry Newcomb. He and I did the perc test – a test to determine the absorption rate for soil – and this whole section passed,” said Vanderhoff pointing to her landscaped yard currently irrigated by her new greywater system.
Vanderhoff also credits Lambert, Ali Fattah, Sr. Research Engineer City of San Diego, Afsaneh Ahmadi, Chief Building Official/Deputy Director City of San Diego Development Services and William Barranon, Chief Combination Inspector City of San Diego for assisting her in following the appropriate protocol to complete permitting for her greywater system.
Vanderhoff notes proven ecological benefits of greywater recycling to include; a lower fresh water extraction from rivers and aquifers, less impact from septic tank and treatment plant infrastructure, topsoil nitrification, reduced energy use and chemical pollution from treatment, groundwater and aquifer recharge, increased plant growth and reclamation of nutrients.
“When I work with people who are interested in this strategy of greywater irrigation, we can actually sit down and say, ‘This is the amount of water you will have from your shower and laundry and that amount of water can be allocated to grow this specific number of fruit trees. The leftover can be used to irrigate other areas where natives and succulents can be planted,’” said Vanderhoff. “It is quite simple actually.”
With a masters degree from the Southern Institute of Architecture and a background in Permaculture, waste water management and indigenous architecture, Vanderhoff is not only credentialed on paper to create successful solutions to water waste and irrigation problems, but has a wealth of practical, hands-on experience as well.
Vanderhoff taught architecture at the Ponape Agriculture and Trade School in Micronesia where she began researching indigenous island architecture and traveled throughout the Central Pacific documenting the spiritual connections of building to people.
“What is valuable to indigenous people is that they have a spiritual, emotional, personal and community connection to their buildings,” said Vanderhoff. “In the west, we look at our buildings as objects. All we ultimately want to know about a building is its price and square footage. Indigenous people are not like that. The buildings are from the place.”
Living in San Diego since 2000, Vanderhoff has focused exclusively on design, building, teaching and implementing strategies and programs to create a sustainable San Diego.
“I am optimistic and I believe one person can make a difference,” said Vanderhoff. “The little things that I do, I do with good intention and I think people are doing such things in bits and pieces all over the world. My hopes are to inspire others to do the same.”
By Christina Chomut
May 8, 2011
San Diego County imports 90 percent of its water. Twenty percent of California’s energy goes to moving said water. An average American uses approximately 150 gallons of palatable water a day and half of that water is used for irrigation. As a local resident, what can be done to offset 50 percent, or approximately 75 gallons, of an individual’s daily water usage?
Permaculture designer Candace Vanderhoff has a solution. The North Park resident recently implemented one of the first permitted greywater systems in the City of San Diego to pave the way for alternative water waste and irrigation. A greywater system simply uses wastewater generated from domestic activities such as laundry, dishwashing and bathing and recycles it on-site for landscape irrigation and constructed wetlands.
For one person, the shower and laundry annual capture rate is over 14,000 gallons and for a family of four, it is over 58,000 gallons – all available to irrigate landscape, according to Vanderhoff.
“What I am doing is setting up native gardens, succulents, rain gardens and working to reduce our potable water use,” said Vanderhoff. “This (greywater system) is really going to help. I have trees in place and now my shower water will be going to irrigate 11 fruit trees, berry bushes and herbs.”
In addition to her sapote, cherimoya, guava, almond, apricot, plum, banana and avocado trees, Vanderhoff grows gogi berries, rosemary, strawberries, artichoke, raspberries and a variety of other medicinal herbs and vegetables on her three quarter acre plot of land.
Prior to integrating a greywater system into her home, Vanderhoff had been utilizing rainwater collection for years through rain harvesting and rainwater capture. According to the alternative water waste specialist, multiple options are available for rainwater collection including poly water storage tanks, decorative urn water storage barrels, underground water storage and galvanized water storage tanks. The benefits of rainwater harvesting include a reduction in municipal water cost, improvements to landscape health, a reduction on the city’s demand on potable water systems and chlorine-free water, according to Vanderhoff.
Vanderhoff has five tanks on her property, all currently full and holding a total of 1,370 gallons of rainwater. During the last rainfall, Vanderhoff’s tanks were overflowing, with the overflow being sent to irrigate the canyon she is restoring on her property.
Vanderhoff integrated a greywater system and rainwater capture into her space – not only for its practical and sustainable function, but because the local resident believes in the intrinsic value of integrated water systems.
“Not only do I believe in it, but I invested myself to such a degree that I started a company because of it.”
Vanderhoff’s business, RainThanks & Greywater, was established in 2009 with a mission to create a regenerative water culture by reusing, capturing and conserving water for a vibrant and healthy lifestyle. In addition to specializing in water capture, RainThanks & Greywater also works with clients to install edible and drought tolerant landscapes.
The North Park-based business offers free workshops and tutorials on alternative water conservation and irrigation on Sundays and Wednesdays from 10 am to 2 pm. Those interested in a private greywater or rainwater harvesting consultations should contact Vanderhoff at (619) 807-9193.
“What I am seeing is a trend in the people I work with,” said Vanderhoff. “People are moving into smaller homes – about a thousand square foot spaces – and they are fixing them up and are integrating edible landscapes, rainwater collection or greywater systems and they are absolutely in love with their space.”
The first thing Vanderhoff had to do in acquiring a permit for her greywater system was to contact the environmental health department.
“Luckily, I found Tom Lambert, Program Coordinator Land and Water Quality Division Department of Environmental Health,” said Vanderhoff. “Tom worked extensively on greywater management and a greywater system guide for the city about ten years ago. Now, the Environmental Health Department has a ten step criteria you need to meet in accordance with permitting greywater systems in the home. It is all sensible – nothing extreme…With the new code they require a permit for the shower, but not for the washing machine system.”
The current California Greywater Codes can be found on the RainThanks & Greywater website, www.rainthanks.com, along with additional information about the company and its services.
“I could not have done this project without microbiologist Larry Newcomb. He and I did the perc test – a test to determine the absorption rate for soil – and this whole section passed,” said Vanderhoff pointing to her landscaped yard currently irrigated by her new greywater system.
Vanderhoff also credits Lambert, Ali Fattah, Sr. Research Engineer City of San Diego, Afsaneh Ahmadi, Chief Building Official/Deputy Director City of San Diego Development Services and William Barranon, Chief Combination Inspector City of San Diego for assisting her in following the appropriate protocol to complete permitting for her greywater system.
Vanderhoff notes proven ecological benefits of greywater recycling to include; a lower fresh water extraction from rivers and aquifers, less impact from septic tank and treatment plant infrastructure, topsoil nitrification, reduced energy use and chemical pollution from treatment, groundwater and aquifer recharge, increased plant growth and reclamation of nutrients.
“When I work with people who are interested in this strategy of greywater irrigation, we can actually sit down and say, ‘This is the amount of water you will have from your shower and laundry and that amount of water can be allocated to grow this specific number of fruit trees. The leftover can be used to irrigate other areas where natives and succulents can be planted,’” said Vanderhoff. “It is quite simple actually.”
With a masters degree from the Southern Institute of Architecture and a background in Permaculture, waste water management and indigenous architecture, Vanderhoff is not only credentialed on paper to create successful solutions to water waste and irrigation problems, but has a wealth of practical, hands-on experience as well.
Vanderhoff taught architecture at the Ponape Agriculture and Trade School in Micronesia where she began researching indigenous island architecture and traveled throughout the Central Pacific documenting the spiritual connections of building to people.
“What is valuable to indigenous people is that they have a spiritual, emotional, personal and community connection to their buildings,” said Vanderhoff. “In the west, we look at our buildings as objects. All we ultimately want to know about a building is its price and square footage. Indigenous people are not like that. The buildings are from the place.”
Living in San Diego since 2000, Vanderhoff has focused exclusively on design, building, teaching and implementing strategies and programs to create a sustainable San Diego.
“I am optimistic and I believe one person can make a difference,” said Vanderhoff. “The little things that I do, I do with good intention and I think people are doing such things in bits and pieces all over the world. My hopes are to inspire others to do the same.”
