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Using water wisely at home saves money and helps us reduced the demand on our dams and water supply.
For general information about how you can save water at home, visit Sustainability Victoria or the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning websites.
Greywater
Greywater is domestic waste water from showers, baths, hand basins, clothes washing machines, laundry troughs, dishwashers and sinks (excluding toilet and urinal waste).
There are two recommended methods for reusing greywater:
- Greywater diversion where the untreated greywater is diverted directly to the lawn or garden. No permit is required for greywater diversion.
- Greywater storage is where greywater is stored for more than 24 hours for future reuse. Storing greywater requires a permit from Council. Treated greywater can be used for a number of purposes including surface and sub-surface irrigation of lawns and garden beds (excluding the vegetable patch) and toilet flushing.
The level of treatment will determine the final use of the greywater with the least amount of treatment for sub-surface irrigation and the highest level of treatment for toilet flushing.
There is no specific legislation banning the use of untreated greywater in Victoria, however, greywater contains a large number of bacteria, which could pose a risk to human health, pets and the environment. The Department of Health and Human Services does not recommend the re-use of untreated greywater inside the home.
For more information visit the EPA website.
