City Council Rejects Ban on Use of ‘Gray Water’

The Walnut City Council on Wednesday narrowly rejected a proposal to ban the use of “gray water”--water from bathtubs, sinks and washing machines--which can be used to irrigate yards but has been labeled a health hazard.

“I think it’s a real step backwards . . . to just out-and-out say, ‘Hell, no, we can’t use gray water,’ ” Councilman Drexel Smith said. “The fact of the matter is, we really have a crisis in California with water.”

City Engineer Ron Kranzer had proposed the ban. Though the council voted 3 to 2 to reject it, officials said state plumbing codes still require that all household water be disposed of in septic tanks or sewers unless the use of gray water is specifically allowed by a county or city.

Some Walnut council members said they would consider allowing gray water for gardening.

The safety of using gray water on plants has been debated since the drought forced drastic cutbacks in water consumption and conservation advocates began touting its usefulness.

Drought-stricken Santa Barbara County actually requires new homes built on lots of an acre or larger to be equipped with gray water plumbing, which separates drain lines from tubs, bathroom sinks and washing machines from toilets and kitchen sinks.

Los Angeles is among four California counties that allow homeowners to use gray water in their yards, provided that they install an underground system for distributing the water, and do not connect gray water lines to sprinkler systems. But the Los Angeles County rule applies only to unincorporated areas.

Meanwhile, officials in La Habra Heights have heeded health experts’ warnings that gray water contains dangerous levels of bacteria. The La Habra Heights Council banned the use of gray water earlier this month, said Kranzer, who is also city engineer in that city.

Citing a state Department of Health Services study, Kranzer said gray water “scares the heck out of me. The hazards of gray water far outweigh the benefits.”

But Smith said prohibiting gray water use would be out of character for a “proactive” city like Walnut. Walnut irrigates its parks and lawns with reclaimed water, which is effluent that has been treated at landfills.

Smith, Mayor Thomas Sykes and Councilman William Choctaw voted against the ban. Council members Bertha (Bert) Ashley and Ray Watson voted in favor of it.