We're excited to be co-sponsoring this Greywater Webinar Series hosted by Greywater Action covering more advanced greywater topics, relevant for both the homeowner and professional. One registration will enable you to view all six webinars, either live or recorded after they air.

If you attend the live webinar you will be able to ask questions directly to the presenters.

The webinars will be held live from 4-5pm on Wednesdays (dates below).

• January 20th: Greywater Irrigation and Plant Health
• February 3rd: Installing Simple Pumped Greywater Systems
• February 17th: Incorporating Greywater Installations into Your Landscaping Business.
• March 2nd: Commercial-Scale Greywater Systems
• March 16th: Whole-House Residential Greywater Systems
• March 30: Understanding the California Plumbing Code for Greywater

Cost: Fee for the series is $50 to $150 sliding-scale*.

This event is co-sponsored by NorCal Community Resilience Network and Transition US

*Wondering what sliding-scale means? A sliding-scale fee means that participants choose the amount to pay along the scale (between $50 and $150). People who can afford to pay more help subsidize people who can't afford it. This helps us keep our workshops affordable to more people. We thank you for paying as high as you are able to on the scale.

Greywater Irrigation and Plant Health

January 20th

Are you ready to set up your greywater system but are still wondering how to best use it to irrigate your landscape? This presentation will teach you the basics of system design, how much water to direct to your plants, and how to choose appropriate plants for greywater irrigation. Instructor Regina Hirsch will also share the results of multi-year monitoring program of simple greywater systems at Evergreen Lodge, a resort in the Sierra Nevada mountains, where her company installed four variations of localized irrigation systems for 1.8 million gallons/year of greywater over the past seven years.  Quarterly and annual monitoring for plant biomass rates (TPI), mulch integrity, soil and water conductivity, water pH, water temperature and soil decompaction rates (compression/lbs/inch) will also be discussed in relation to fire effects, occupancy rates, and plant success.

Presenter: Regina Hirsch has over 18 years’ experience delivering water conservation solutions to private, public and commercial entities.  These projects focus on applying site-specific best management practices such as Low Impact Development, water conservation techniques, and water reuse in public and commercial demonstration areas that solve critical management problems while rehydrating watersheds for multiple beneficial uses.

After monitoring watershed health and water quality parameters at the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Board and the Morro Bay National Estuary Program, Regina founded a “design/build” firm, Sierra Watershed Progressive (SWP) focusing on best management practices aimed at rehydrating watersheds and promoting outreach and education.  Since 2010, Sierra Watershed Progressive has helped plan, design, install and monitor projects restoring acres of habitat and while increasing watershed recharge. SWP has projects throughout stretching from Mono Counties west to the bay area, from Ventura County to Humboldt County.

Installing Simple Pumped Greywater Systems

February 3rd

Is your landscape uphill from your plants? Or across a flat patio? If so, you may need to you a pump to deliver greywater to the plants. The most simple pumped system (most affordable and least amount of maintenance) uses an effluent pump with larger irrigation tubing to prevent clogs. Learn how to design and install your own pumped system.

Presenter: Leigh Jerrard is the principal of Greywater Corps, a company that designs, installs, and teaches about residential greywater systems as a solution to California’s water crisis.  He has installed numerous greywater systems ranging from simple gravity-flow systems to 1000 gallon-per-day fully automated systems.  Leigh also works with nonprofits, water companies, and city agencies to facilitate broader implementation of greywater use; he recently worked with the city of Los Angeles to create a streamlined permitting process for simple greywater systems.  He is a licensed architect and a LEED accredited professional.

Incorporating Greywater Installations into Your Landscaping Business

February 17th

Landscape professionals working in the residential sector are uniquely positioned to offer greywater irrigation systems to their clients. Landscape contractor Alan Hackler will share his experience of how to incorporate greywater systems into a landscape business. He’ll discuss how he began with simple washing machine systems and expanded to complex systems over time, he’ll share challenges and lessons learned, success stories, and how greywater has benefited his business.

Commercial-scale Greywater Systems: Case studies from Orenco Systems and ReWater

March 2nd

Orenco’s AdvanTex Graywater Recycling System will soon be NSF 350 certified for indoor reuse of greywater. Learn how this system treats greywater to levels that allow it to be used for toilet flushing, cooling towers, water features, and landscape irrigation

ReWater has designed and installed high-end residential and commercial greywater irrigation systems since 1990. Founder Steve Bilson will discuss the technical details of a ReWater System, costs, installation skills needed, water savings, and maintenance needs with the case study of a system installed in Santa Monica at the NRDC headquarters.

Whole-House Residential Greywater Systems

March 16th

Whole house greywater systems collect greywater from showers, sinks, and washing machines, filter it and distribute it through drip irrigation. Systems like Nexus E-Water treat the water so it can be used for toilet flushing or spray irrigation (NSF 350 certified), IrriGray systems can be monitored on your smartphone, and GreyFlo’s filter is cleaned with compressed air (bypassing a common concern from regulators regarding potential cross-connection issues). Learn about these three different whole house greywater systems in this informative webinar, with the founders of the companies presenting on their products. We’ll cover costs, maintenance, installation requirements, water savings, and general pros and cons of the system.

Understanding the California Plumbing Code for Greywater

March 30

This presentation will take an in-depth look at the California greywater code, how to get a permit, and learn about efforts across the state to make legal installations easier for residents.

Presenter: Laura Allen is a founding member of Greywater Action and has spent the past 15 years exploring low-tech, urban, sustainable water solutions. She is the lead author of the San Francisco Graywater Design Guidelines for Outdoor Irrigation and authored The Water-Wise Home: How to Conserve and Reuse Water in Your Home and Landscape (Storey Press, 2015). She has a BA in environmental science, a teaching credential, and a master’s degree in education. Laura leads classes and workshops on rainwater harvesting, greywater reuse, and composting toilets. Laura has presented widely on greywater reuse, including at the Water Smart Innovations Conference, Bioneers, California Environmental Health Association conference, and California Landscape Contractors Association conference. She’s participated in state greywater code developments in California and Washington State and was on a committee to write a draft composting toilet code for IAPMO. Laura was featured in an Ask This Old House episode on greywater and was the 2014 recipient of the Silicon Valley Water Conservation Award of Water Champion.