Alternative Irrigation

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Alternative Irrigation
Frank Henning Watershed Extension Agent
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Sources, Definitions Regulations

• Potable water (public vs. private)
• Preuse water
• Black water
• Gray water
• Condensate water
• Reuse or reclaimed water
• Stormwater
• State waters

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Conventional Sources of Water
- Public water supply system (municipal
water) system for provision of piped water to
the public for human consumption.15
connections, or 35 individuals for 60
days/year. Subject to water restrictions.
- Private water supply system usually supplied
by ground water (wells). lt 15 connections and
35 individuals. No permit, few restrictions.
- State waters - bodies of surface or subsurface
not entirely confined and retained on property
of individual

• Permitted withdraws - average withdraws
  100,000 gpd in one month from surface or ground
  waters.

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Preuse Water (unofficial term)
Unused potable water water that is
collected while a user is waiting for tap water
to begin running hot or cold.
local governments may allow this water to be used
to fill toilet tanks or water plants.
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Wastewater Sources (alternative sources)
Reclaimed water (reuse water) - wastewater that
is highly treated, but not potable.
Black water wastewater generated by water
closets, urinals, bidets, kitchen sinks garbage
disposals
Gray water wastewater generated by water-using
fixtures and appliances, excluding water closets,
urinals, bidets, kitchen sinks and garbage
disposals (purple pipe).
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Floridas Reclaimed Water Program
gt1200 mgd
gt600 mgd
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Reclaimed Water Use
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Onsite Wastewater Managementin Georgia
(subsurface)

• 40 of housing units in Georgia use on-site
  systems for wastewater disposal
• 1,500,000 units
• 50,000 onsite systems permitted annually in
  Georgia
• 50 of new homes built
• Georgia is typical for SE states and other growth
  regions

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Gray Water

• 65 of total wastewater
• Low in organic material (less treatment)
• May contain fecal bacteria, viruses.
• Bad news - surface discharge requires a NPDES
  permit

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Graywater Workgroup Recommendations
Outdoors DHR regulations (Health Dept.)

• Indoors
• International Plumbing Code, 2006
• Georgia State Minimum Plumbing Code
• Dec. 15, 2007 deadline for 2008 review by State
  Codes Advisory Committee
• Gray water for flushing toilets and urinals
• Requires Holding tank, filtration,
  disinfection,
• backflow prevention, dye injection, purple pipe
• Local govt plumbing codes adopt, amend, nothing

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Graywater - Indoor Use

• Flushing toilets
• 26 of household water use (AWWA)
• Per capita consumption gt 100 gal/day (EPA)
• Household of 4 could save 40,000 gal/year

Source AWWA
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Land Application of Wastewater
Conventional Drainfield

• Distribute wastewater into the soil
• Temporary storage
• Little, if any, treatment

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Combining Irrigation with Onsite Wastewater
Management

• DHR, Public Health Regs. (Co.Health Dept.)
• - Manual for on-site sewage management systems
• Subsurface application of gray black water
• Manual for on-site sewage management
• Engineered system

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Pressurized Subsurface Drip

• Normally used for unsuitable soils
• Aerobic pretreatment (BODlt25mg/l
• Solid separation/filtration (TSSlt30mg/l)
• Pump
• Minimum of 6 earth cover
• Subsurface drip irrigation
• in the root zone

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Household Water use (gray black) 400 gal/day
(2800 gal/week) 1 inch on 4,500 square feet
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Other Sources
Condensate water (use not regulated) water that
condenses on air conditioner coils
Stormwater (use not regulated) The portion of
rainfall that does not infiltrate into the soil,
or water that runs off impervious surfaces
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Solution Condensate Water
Home AC can produce 5 50 gal./day
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Condensate Pumps
Pump 25 gph with 15 head Cost 50
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7 gallons per day to get 200 gallons per month
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• Rule of thumb for watering
• Shrubs up to once a week - apply one gallon of
  water per foot of plant height
• Lawns up to once a week -
• up to one inch per application
• Trees up to once a week
• one inch of water under entire
• canopy

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How much Water?
Low
Low
H
H
Lawn
25 x 40 1,000 ft2
1 per week 624 gal.
2500 gal./month
Do we need to water lawns?
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5
Plant Height
2
3
Low
4
Low
3
.5/d
.5/d
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Ornamentals
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1 gal./day 7 days 7 gal.
2

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43 of plant 43 gal.
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50 gal./week 200 gal./ month
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Can we harvest store 200 gal. per month?
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Irrigation With Harvested Water
Conserve by watering individual plants
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Pump
If pumping 50 gal/day may need to divert Some
water back to reservoir
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Intake screen
Foot valve
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Irrigation Controller
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Pump Relay
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Float switch
Shuts off pump when reservoir is empty
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Thermal Shutoff
Shuts off pump when temperature is high
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Irrigation Filter
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Emitters

• - Many shapes and styles
• Flow rate 0.5 10 gal./hr
• Pressure compensating
• Do not mix drip with micro spray

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25 mature plants (4 feet tall)
Example
- Plant requirement 4 gallons
- Total requirement 25 x 4 100 gallons

• 2 gph emitters, 2 per plant (100 gph)

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• Previous example
• 100 gph, 1 hour
• 2 gpm 120 gph
• - Pump would run 1 hour with lt 2gpm flow

Most pumps are water cooled require 2 gpm flow
Without return flow to recirculate water, pump
might overheat
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Water Ban Options

• Landscape Design
• Wastewater drip
• Harvest Condensate
• Harvest Rainwater