Using Household Graywater on Bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon)

摘要

Water is becoming a rare resource. The conservation and reuse of water is becoming increasingly morernimportant; worldwide consumption of fresh water has more than doubled since World War II and is expectedrnto rise another 25 percent by 2030. However, aesthetic residential landscapes provide numerous homeownerrnbenefits; including dust abatement, moderation of temperatures, reduced air condition requirements,rnincreased home value and increased use of home landscapes. In order to maintain our desired residentialrnlandscapes, alternative conservation strategies will be required to minimize the impact to potable waterrnsources. The reuse of graywater collected from individual households may provide this additional waterrnresource. Graywater is wastewater from clothes washers, bathtubs, showers, and sinks, but not from kitchenrnsinks, dishwashing machines, and toilets. The use of graywater on turfgrass and landscape plants will reducernthe average consumption of potable water. The objectives of this study are to determine the potential waterrnsavings with the use of graywater on residential lawns, and to monitor the potential soil chemical propertyrnchanges. The results to date show no detrimental effects to using graywater on turfgrass. The increasedrnlevels of both sodium as well as nitrate levels from the graywater source could change the soil chemistryrnas the research progresses. Proper irrigation and the leaching of sodium and nitrate will validate the use ofrngraywater as an alternative irrigation source for home lawns.