The City of Long Beach and the Long Beach Water Department have come up with a new conservation idea, using laundry water to irrigate home landscapes. Residents of single-family homes may apply for the program and those who qualify get free installation of a graywater irrigation system.
From The Contra Costa Times – Article by Pamela Hale-Burns
Laundry day has taken on a whole new meaning in Long Beach as the city unveiled its latest water conservation project Tuesday – Laundry to Landscape.
According to city officials, the program will allow residents to conserve resources by using water from their washing machines, also known as graywater, for backyard irrigation systems for trees, shrubs and gardens.
In March, the City Council approved the program, which was co-sponsored by council members James Johnson, Patrick O’Donnell and Suja Lowenthal.
“Today, Long Beach leads the way by being one of the first cities to test this innovative way to conserve scarce water,” said Johnson. “By reusing water on site, graywater has the potential to both save water and money for Long Beach residents.”
The program is a partnership between the Long Beach Water Department, which is also funding the project, and the Office of Sustainability.
“Long Beach has placed itself at the forefront of the water conservation movement. Our residents, our customers have enthusiastically answered our calls to minimize or eliminate all of the wasteful and inefficient … water use habits,” said Frank Clark, vice president of the Long Beach Water Department Board of Commissioners. “During the period of four years the city has achieved and attained a 17 percent reduction in citywide water use.”
