Eco news flash: All the water on Earth was here from the beginning. We’re not getting in any new shipments. So, along with our bottles and cans, our water needs to be recycled. At our Summit house we have installed a system for capturing greywater (semi-clean water from the dishwasher, showers, etc) and putting it through a treatment system so that the water can be used for property irrigation.

We worked with Biosolutions, based in Agoura Hills, CA. They design, permit, and install these systems for residential and commercial clients. Their international supplier is Orenco.

The clean water journey begins in a primary treatment tank, which separates liquids and solids. The liquid is then pumped into the Advantex pods where micro-biotics eat at the effluent. This process happens several times before going into a dosing tank, which then pumps water through a UV treatment, before exiting the system to an underground drip field. In this particular case the drip field was a grass play area. This system could also be used to treat sewage; the water that comes out looks clean, and even better, smells clean, as seen in this "Homeowner Basics” video.

In addition, their Storm Water System collects rainwater and runoff from regular watering. Typically a property drain system picks up the water and sends it directly to the street and down storm drains along with dirt, oil, and pesticides, but then all of that ends up in our creeks and bays. With this system the water is collected via the area drains, and large filters are placed throughout the system to prevent debris from entering. The water enters the storm water treatment system where fine sand and sediment percolate through gravel, and the cleaned water is sent to the treated storm water holding tank. This water then ties into the main irrigation system with a sophisticated float valve that tells the system there is excess water available before domestic tap water is used.

Both systems have sophisticated sensors that connect via phone line to tell the customer or service reps how this system is working, and the system will email or call if there is an issue. Efficient, high-tech solutions to using our most precious liquid asset.