> The really sad thing is that all the water that goes down our drains is of the finest drinkable quality - including the water in our toilets (on the way in, anyway). Water is abundant, but drinkable water is not.

This comment got me thinking about "grey water". For those who don't know, grey water is NOT drinkable water, acquired from sources I have always been afraid to inquire about. During a recent water shortage here in Calgary, there were a number of complaints about the fact that everyone in the city was suffering under mandatory water restrictions (which included NO watering of lawns or outdoor plants and NO washing of cars, with a $1000 fine for violaters) and yet garderners were out water the flowers outside City Hall. As it turned out, the water used there was from a grey source, and hence not restricted. (The issue was with potable water, since the water treatment facilities couldn't handle the extremely silty water coming into town as a result of recent flooding.)

My point (I actually have one!): it would seem that since drinkable water is such a valuable commodity, it would make sense to try to use as much grey water as possible for suitable purposes. In the household, toilets seem to be the most obvious candidates, with water for lawns and outdoor plants coming in a close second. (No drinking from the hose, kids!) Of course, the infrastructure required to get the grey water to every home would be cost-prohibitive for existing homes, but it might be something that could be done in new developments.

Of course, I still don't know what typical sources for grey water would be. Recycled water from elsewhere in the house would be a good start, I would think (why not filter the water from the dishwasher and use it in the toilet? throw in the washing machine and we're almost running the toilet for free!), but maybe not.

I wonder if there IS a good (i.e. cost-effective) way to make use of grey water in contemporary western society?

> ^v^:)^v^
> FB

Don Monkey