Kirsten+L

__**Greywater Gardens:**__

Greywater is an emerging resource that is important to take advantage of. In my project I plan to explore the benefits of using Greywater. But before we can safely utilize Greywater we must find out if it is safe to use on plants, and that is where my project and plants come in. Greywater is defined as reused water that is not contaminated beyond use. The water that is deemed un-usable is called blackwater. This often includes water that is from a toilet, or water that could otherwise contaminate the groundwater supply. This water is required to go through a treatment facilities before it can be released into the water supply of the world. There are many ways that the water can be purified using different advanced systems which have been greatly improved over the past decades. It would be catastrophic for the population of bad water was released into the system. This is a danger because of the fact that if black water should get absorbed into the soil of the earth it is possible for it to contaminate groundwater depending on the quantity of black water that was realeased. Typical greywater is about 50% detergent or some type of cleaning fluid and 50% water, which is the mixture I will be using for my experiment. Most of the research recommends using already mature plants for experimentation, because this way more variables can be eliminated. With mature plants all of the risks of improper growing conditions for seed germination are eliminated. This way solely effects of the greywater can be studied. The research also suggests when doing this experiment one should use the same type of plant to keep all things constant that is possible. It was also suggested that the researcher try different sources of greywater possibly weekly. For example, for one week one could use the water which would be wasted after washing one's hands ( making certain that the researcher is keeping every thing constant, like the type of soap in the water) and then the next using laundry water and soap. However, the only materials needed for this experiment are, soil and the desired number of pots and plants to accurately fill out the requirements and ensure accurate results with multiple trials. The research also suggests a period of four weeks to test the project, with variation in the time frame depending on the results and the time frame they are being achieved in. Greywater is cheifly laundry water, in fact, 60% of all greywater that is used is laundry water. This is because of the low amount of bacteria in it compared to pure sewage, or black water, which is considered unusable for those reasons. Greywater has long been used by farmers, and in places with limited rain fall for all sorts of things. An enormous amount of water can be saved by simply reusing the water. Research suggests that the greywater should not harm the plants due to the low levels of nitrogen in it compared to black water and sewage water. The soil of the plant will be able to absorb the majority of the nitrogen. For example, if one has a garden of approximately 500 square feet, then it should be able to absorb about 250 gallons of water per week. The soil's ability to absorb water varies with location, but the excellent filtration system inside the soil allows for people to reuse only slightly used water, for example, for every minute a person is in the shower, they use approximately two to three gallons of water in a single minute. If we can learn to reuse even half of the water used in the shower in a week we could have enough water to water a large garden for a week.

__**WORKS CITED:**__ =__Materials:__= · One 50 oz container of scented laundry detergent · One 50 oz container of Ecover ecologically safe laundry detergent · 27 identical ivy plants · 27 plastic solo cups · One large package of Miracle-Grow potting soil · Water from either a well or tap water (not filtered) =__Procedure:__= 1. Make watering solution B by mixing 1847 ml of water with 1 ml of SCENTED detergent 2. Make watering solution C by mixing 1133 ml of water with 1 ml of ECOLOGICALLY SAFE detergents 3. Divide the 27 identical plants in to three groups each containing nine plants 4. Group A will receive 78.9 ml (1/3 of a cup) of PLAIN water every other day at the same time that Groups B and C are watered. This group is the control so it should only be given the plain water. 5. Group B receives 78.9 ml (1/3 of a cup) of the SCENTED mixture every other day on the same schedule as the other two groups 6. Group C receives 78.9 ml (1/3 of a cup) of ECOLOGICALLY SAFE mixture every other day on the same schedule as the other two groups. 7. Continue this procedure for 28 days 8.  Record findings along the way and take pictures
 * Barker, Allen. "Recycling Gray Water for Home Gardens" __Plant Culture & Maintenance__ 6 October 2009.
 * < http://www.umassgreeninfo.org/fact_sheets/plant_culture/gray_water_for_gardens.html>
 * "Combined Wastewater" __Greywater: Synopsis.__ 6 October 2009. 
 * "Planning a New Greywater System" __Greywater.__ 6 October 2009. 
 * "Greywater Pollution" __Greywater__ 6 October 2009. 
 * "How to Use Greywater in the Home" Home improvement. 6 October 2009 
 * "Greywater or Gray water systems as Components of Alternative Septic Systems for Difficult Sites" __Inspectapedia.__ 6 October 2009. 
 * "Greywater Gardens" __About__ 6 October 2009. 
 * "Does Water Quality Affect Plant Growth?" __Science Fair Project E-Books__ 6 October 2009. 
 * "Errors in Greywater Gardens" 6 October 2009. 

= __Calculations:__ Average size of barrel of washer about 3 cubic ft. 3 cubic ft = 84.95 liters   (Google Conversions) = = 84.95 liters = 84950 ml ↓ = 84950ml = total amt of water in an average washing machine barrel Whole bottle = 1507 20 loads in bottle 1507/ 20 = about 75 ml in a Capful Ratio of detergent to water in one load is **75 to 84950 ml (Ecological ration is larger because the detergent is __less__ concentrated) ↓ ** Ml in capful of Scented Detergent Whole bottle = 4430 ml 96 loads in a bottle 4430/ 96 = about 46 ml in a Capful Ratio of detergent to water in one load is **46 to 84950 ml** ** (Scented ratio is smaller because the detergent is __more__ concentrated
 * Ml in capful of Ecological detergent
 * Ml in capful of Ecological detergent