Save Your Septic!

Posted on August 6, 2007 by Joyce Benson
Tag(s): Green Building, Green Furnishings, Kitchens And Baths, The Great Green Outdoors

Water conservation efforts benefit all of us and this lovely planet we inhabit, but I’ve come to realize that such efforts can really help septic tanks from becoming overburdened too! I highly recommend installing water-saving toilets (look for HETs for best performance), shower-heads, aerators on sink faucets, dishwashers and front-loading washing machines to reduce the vast amount of water your septic tank has to deal with. Of course, those things also ease the strain on the public water treatment system too.

Why flush so much water down the drain when now it’s so easy not to? The EPA’s labeling program called Water Sense, makes it easy to find water saving, yet high efficiency toilets (HETs) that are independently tested for performance. In 2008, they will be expanding the program to include bathroom sink faucets.

Another great idea is to use cisterns to capture and store rain water for use in the garden and yard.

If you’re really ambitious, you can have a greywater system installed. This system reuses water from the clothes and dish washing machines, shower and bathtub, for use in a landscape irrigation system.