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Sponsor |  berrypicker | Mar 10, 5:09pm | North Carolina is under severe drought conditions. Raleigh N.C. has phase 2 water restrictions and that means NO watering outside the home at all. this is what ticks- me -off, I CAN use these in my yard- toxic chemicals such as rat poison to control moles and voles, toxic pesticides (even restricted use if the applicator is qualified), fertilizers such as ammonium nitrate (used to make bombs), I CAN spread fungicides, pre-emergents and Herbicides over my entire lawn without question. But this is what they think of bathwater and dishwater, and these are laws in our county:
Fact #1: "Using untreated wastewater for watering is both illegal and unhealthy.
Throwing untreated, household wastewater on top of the ground in North Carolina is illegal as it is considered sewage by law and must be disposed of through a permitted sewage treatment system. It is also considered unhealthy to use untreated wastewater for any other uses that might bring it in contact with humans. Although soaps are used in the dish and bath water, it is still wastewater as is water from washing your vegetables, dishes, hands, body or clothing. These types of wastewaters may contain disease-producing organisms, called pathogens, from fecal material or from on the body (e.g. staph), which are infectious! Waste has always been buried or disposed of in other ways for basic human sanitation. Countries that do not dispose of wastes away from human contact have higher disease rates and sometimes epidemics."
Fact #2:" Untreated wastewater attracts animals and pests that can spread diseases.
People are not the only animals in North Carolina looking for water sources during a drought. Flies, pets, wildlife and other animals that transport diseases would be attracted to water that someone tossed on the ground. When these transport animals touch and drink the wastewater, they become contaminated and may get sick. They may also spread the disease-causing germs to local residents and the community."
If anyone can make sense of this-please enlighten me. |
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Sponsor | | ericthehamster | Mar 11, 1:50am | Good grief - although I haven't worked out a way to transport bath water to garden, I think it is encouraged in the UK in "drought" conditions, as is dish water. As you say, the chemicals contained in household soaps/cleaners will generally not be as harsh as the proprietory chemicals used in gardens and farming.
I use a product called Ecover, which I feel a lot more comfortable about throwing onto the garden (and none of my perennials appear to have suffered - I wouldn't use it on the vegetables/herbs). Soapy water is also a well-known way to treat greenfly!
I wonder whether N Carolina has had specific problems with this issue in the past? What is the climate? If it is a lot hotter than the UK, then maybe the disease fears are legitimate (although I do doubt that)? |
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Sponsor | | berrypicker | Mar 11, 6:13pm | It has gotten hot-I mean HOT! our temps in july and aug can reach 100 or more. I do think past problems did play a role in this. Perhaps lack of indoor plumbing and lack of out-houses led to the dumping of human waste on properties. But now, drought condition may force us to re-think the use gray water to keep our plants and gardens alive. gardeners will just have to wait for this back assward state to catch up with modern problems...sigh...
Other alternatives are out there. Everyone may do this- we let all the cold water go down the drain until it becomes hot, then we shower. The cold water can be catched and re-used. I think bathwater and dishwater are safe for plants,and a solid way to conserve water. Unless we get proper rainfall(down about 15 inches) I'm going to have one rough year in the garden! I might have to invest in extra rain barrels and fill them with as much fishwater from my husbands aquariums as possible. |
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Sponsor | | berrypicker | Mar 12, 2:51pm | | that is a great idea! I think I saw that too (way back) I still am a bit mad at the fact that I can only put fresh water on my garden-what a waste! |
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Eco-minded Habitat → Discussion