GREY WATER TECHNOLOGY

Grey water is waste water from the kitchen sink and from washing. Kitchen waste water contains food particles, grease, suspended solids, soap, chemicals and residues. Because it attracts wildlife, some backcountry locations require food particles and grease to be removed before the grey water is allowed to go into a dispersion field on-site. Grey water may also contain pathogenic organisms from hand and body washing activities and should therefore be properly disposed of to prevent health hazards.

Design criteria for a functional grey water system include:

• Operation and maintenance tasks that are clear and simple, even for first time users
• Filtration of solid waste particles from grey water prior to disposal
• Disposal of grey water in a manner that does not attract wildlife
• Disposal of grey water so as not to adversely affect adjacent water bodies
• Grey water treatment and disposal system that requires minimal or no energy
• A system should be capable of functioning properly in freezing conditions