First City of Austin Permitted Graywater System

Graywater Reuse: Designing a System that Works

Rebecca Batchelder, P.E., presented a public talk hosted by Design~Build~Live, 19 October 2011 at 7 pm, at Backyard Salvage and Garden, 111 E. Koenig Lane, Austin, Texas 78751 (former Howard’s Nursery location).

This presentation will guide people through the design considerations of a graywater reuse system, put the record straight on some graywater myths and misconceptions, and answer burning questions on how to make use of this valuable resource instead of sending it down to the drain for costly, relatively ineffective and resource intensive treatment. The presentation will be given from the perspective of a professional engineer and will touch on environmental impacts (the good and the bad), permitting process, human health and safety, treatment and soap.

Rebecca Batchelder was an environmental engineer with Glenrose Engineering. She has five years of experience working on water resource issues in Central Texas. Her work includes design of low impact development (LID) storm water treatment systems, research on alternative waste water treatment design and its impacts on the environment, and sampling investigations to monitor the impact of development. She was a resident at the Rhizome Collective warehouse, where she participated in many of the low-tech sustainable design experiments. More recently, she designed and installed Austin’s first permitted residential graywater reuse system. This system has not been designed in accordance with City of Austin graywater design regulations. Rather, it presented a sensible alternative that meets state regulations, protects human health and safety, and the environment and maximizes water conservation.

Graywater Presentation by Glenrose Engineering, Inc. given for Design~Build~Live
PowerPoint (4.49 MB)

Graywater presentation given by Glenrose Engineering Inc., for Design~Build~Live
PDF (1.8 MB)