(Update on meeting info – see below)

Here’s an important announcement from ecological designer and greywater expert Art Ludwig (via a post to the Permaculture-SF list). It’s about California Senate Bill 1258 and efforts to bring some sanity to California’s greywater laws; it’s full of important information and links:

Dear Greywater Stakeholders:

The greywater regulation revolution was started in 1989 in Santa Barbara, California. It spread from there to four other communities, then the whole state, via the Uniform Plumbing Code, in 1992.

Since then, while California’s greywater innovation has been at a standstill, the rest of the west has left us in the dust.

California greywater codes are so cumbersome and unrealistic that only ten permits have been issued in Santa Barbara in twenty years (This is a county where an estimated 25% of households use greywater during drought, and 10% or so use greywater every year).

Across the board, not just with greywater, the current regulatory paradigm hinders best sustainability practices, while permitting activities that undermine the viability of the earth’s life support systems.

Realistic greywater codes of the type adopted in Arizona (2001), New Mexico (2003), Texas (2005) and in process in several other states are emblematic of the shift that occurs when the blinders come off and the full risk profile is taken into account in crafting policy.

If California regains its leadership position, the rest of the world is essentially certain to follow.

I look forward to working with you to get the new greywater standards headed towards this goalpost, as envisioned by the sponsors of the enabling legislation.

We’ve decided to put some resources behind this effort. Here’s what we’ve come up with so far. We’ll be adding more, including responses to HCD’s and the Greywater Working Groups material.

California Greywater Policy and SB1258 Information Center
Detailed suggestions and resources for making the most of the SB 1258 opportunity to improve greywater standards in California [new page]

I’d like to add specific suggested language to this page as it evolves.

History of Greywater Regulation
History of greywater regulation in the US, with a focus on the current mess and future opportunities in California [new page]

Greywater Policy Center
Greywater policy center [old page, updated with TX and CA info]

Removing Institutional Barriers to Sustainability
Removing Institutional Barriers to Sustainability [new page]

Please broadcast the existence of these resources to your lists and on your web site. These page URLs will be valid long-term.

I will be at the Greywater Stakeholders meeting in Sacramento February 25th, 2009…hope to see you there.

Art Ludwig
Ecological Systems Designer

UPDATE: See the California Department of Housing and Community Development’s (HCD’s) Meeting Notices and Agendas for two PDFs about the meeting:

• February 25 Focus Group Meeting Agenda – California Plumbing Code (Adobe PDF)
• February 25 Focus Group Meeting Notice – California Plumbing Code (Adobe PDF)

Also, the folks at Oasis Design asked us to pass along:

Dear Greywater Fans:

We’re looking for a volunteer to call around California and hopefully persuade some sympathetic health officials to write letters in favor of greywater regulation rationalization, or at least basing the new policy on real data.

Anyone you know come to mind, please send ‘em this way.

Art