Waterwise Living

JULY 2012

Gray Water Use in Your Home and Garden

By Christine Y. Chavez, DPU Conservation Coordinator
By Christine Chavez Conservation Coordinator Los Alamos Dept. of Public Utilities Several Los Alamos county residents have expressed an interest in the use of gray water in their landscapes and I thought this would be appropriate timing to share this information with you. Especially since we can expect that our outdoor summer irrigation use will grow, as it typically triples in the hot summertime months. Defining Gray Water The use of gray water, as opposed to our potable drinking water supply to irrigate our landscapes, is an excellent alternative for preservation of our fresh water supply. You will also save more money on your water and sewer bill and have a constant source of water for irrigation even in the toughest periods of drought. Gray water is defined by the New Mexico Environment Department as untreated household wastewater that has not come in contact with toilet waste and includes wastewater from bathtubs, showers, washbasins, clothes washing machines and laundry tubs, but does not include wastewater from kitchen sinks or dishwashers or laundry water from the washing of material soiled with human excreta, such as diapers. Water from toilets is considered blackwater and is not suitable for any reuse inside or outside of your home. Gray Water is Not Effluent Gray water should not be confused with treated effluent water that comes out of DPUs wastewater treatment plant. Effluent is treated and wastewater is delivered to some of our high-volume waters users for irrigation such as the municipal golf course. If the amount of gray water that you use amounts to less than 250 gallons per day then a gray water permit from the NMED is not required. Gray Water Rules and Regs The gray water originating from your residence has to be used within your property boundary and it must be discharged to a mulched surface area or to an underground irrigation system. The 2003 regulations issued by the NMED detail the rules for gray water use on your landscape and can be looked at on their website at http://www.nmenv.state.nm.us/ fod/LiquidWaste/graywater.html. Gray water may contain fats, oils, grease and other chemicals in addition to elevated levels of chlorides, sodium and higher pH therefore it is important to select your planting material carefully. You may also want to use biodegradable and environmentally friendly soap products as well as eliminate the use of chlorine bleach. Irrigating with Gray Water Root crops should not be irrigated with gray water but fruit and nut trees generally do well with gray

Summer is Here!

Los Alamos Dept of Public Utilities (DPU)

Water Rule W-8 began in May. Odd addresses irrigate on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays, before 10 a.m. and after 5 p.m. Even addresses irrigate on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, before 10 a.m. and after 5 p.m. Also, automatic shut-off nozzles are to be used on every hose. Thank you Los Alamos, and lets keep up the excellent water conservation efforts while maintaining our aesthetics and quality of life.

Waterwise Contributors

Waterwise welcomes your suggestions and contributions. Send them to: DPU@lacnm.us or call us at 662-8333.

Christine Chavez
Los Alamos Dept of Public Utilities cy.chavez@lacnm.us, 662-8147

Richard Heim, National Climatic Data Center, NOAA

Editor: Allison Majure Dept. of Public Utilities allison.majure@lacnm.us

Waterwise Living

water irrigation so long as effort is taken to occasionally irrigate with another water source to flush accumulated salts and nutrients. In general, native plants which are drought tolerant do best with gray water irrigation. The New Mexico Office of the State Engineer recommends trees such as the cottonwood, olive, locust, juniper and pinon and shrubs such as Chamisa, four winged saltbush and privet as appropriate planting materials for use with gray water irrigation. Also because gray water is usually alkaline it is important to avoid using gray water on plants that require an acidic environment. More Information. For more information on how to design a simple gray water system in your home please reference the easy to follow guide written by the New Mexico Office of the State Engineer Conservation Bureau found at http://www.ose.state.nm.us/water-info/ conservation/pdf-manuals/NewMexGWGuide. pdf If you have any additional questions or would like to request a free hard copy of the above manual along please contact Christine Y. Chavez at 6628147 or at cy.chavez@lacnm.us.

Master Gardeners Tour in August

The 2012 Garden Tour produced by the NMSU Los Alamos Master Gardeners features five private gardens and the Los Alamos Community Gardens on North Mesa. The gardens will be open to the public from 10:00am untill 2:00pm on Saturday, August 25th. The tours are free and self guided, there will be docents at each site; visitors may start at any garden and visit as many as they like. Brochures are available at both libraries, at the Extension Office (475 20th Street), and are also available online at http://lamgonline.org This year the private gardens combine beautiful plantings with vegetable production. Water features vary from ponds to streams to fountains. Deciduous and coniferous trees, shrubs and perennials chosen for our climate and soils and creative hardscapes provide ideas for every garden. Also included, is a certified wildlife habitat. Please join the Master Gardeners for this years Garden Tour.

U.S. Drought Monitor

New Mexico
Drought Conditions (Percent Area)
None Current Last Week
(06/19/2012 map)

June 26, 2012

Valid 7 a.m. EST

D0-D4 D1-D4 D2-D4 D3-D4 100.00 99.64 100.00 99.64 89.35 91.37 81.79 87.60 85.75 81.29 60.97 72.15 88.99 87.35 25.25 25.17 24.94 23.37 69.61 71.18

D4 0.00 0.00 9.13 7.57 35.13 49.09

0.00 0.00 10.65 8.63 0.00 0.00

3 Months Ago
(03/27/2012 map)

Start of Calendar Year

(12/27/2011 map)

Start of Water Year

(09/27/2011 map)

100.00 96.40 100.00 93.98

One Year Ago

(06/21/2011 map)

Intensity:
D0 Abnormally Dry D1 Drought - Moderate D2 Drought - Severe D3 Drought - Extreme D4 Drought - Exceptional

The Drought Monitor focuses on broad-scale conditions. Local conditions may vary. See accompanying text summary for forecast statements.

Released Thursday, June 28, 2012

http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu

Richard Heim, National Climatic Data Center, NOAA