Thanks daytrip!
http://www.cnbc.com/id/102691480
Imagine a home that could recycle two-thirds of the water it uses. No need to imagine. New technology to do just that was recently approved for use in drought-parched California, and the company behind it claims it could be looking at a $15 billion business ahead.
“In five years time, every new home will have a water recycler in it,” said Ralph Petroff, chairman of Nexus eWater, the Australia-based company behind the technology.
The system, which lives under two manhole-like covers on the side of the home, pulls in soapy water from the house—that is shower, dishwasher, laundry and sink water, not toilet water—and then sends it into a cleaning system. What comes out, so-called “gray water,” is water that can be used for irrigation and for flushing toilets. The water cannot be used for washing or drinking.
California-based KB Home bought into the technology and just announced that it will be standard in over 50 homes in a new San Diego development. It is also demonstrating the system in model homes in Sacramento and Lancaster.
The cost is just under $10,000 per home to install, but Petroff said that price should go down as more builders buy in and the technology becomes more common. He sees it as having even more potential than solar panels.
“There is no alternative to water. That’s what Californians are discovering every day,” said Petroff.
Over-engineered. $10,000 to install is excessive. How many decades before it pays for itself with lower water bills??? How many times will it break in that time?
There are less expensive alternatives. Graywater does not need to be treated with expensive filters – it is safe for watering as it is.
It’s a sexy topic so people will pay.
To include them in new homes is a no-brainer because it’s just part of the package.
Would a homeowner pay $10,000 for a retrofit special? Some would.
“Over-engineered. $10,000 to install is excessive. How many decades before it pays for itself with lower water bills??? How many times will it break in that time?”
We arguably have a rough open borders policy, with sanctuary cities well intact in Southern California. Currently, we have 10 million undocumented workers in this state. Statistically, these workers will have 2.8 kids apiece. So in a short time, we’ll have roughly an extra 20 million people we didn’t have 10 years ago.
btw, the population of the united states has doubled since 1955. It will double again in half that time.
Millennials are going to get to watch the industrialization of California. When they’re elderly, they’ll tell their grandchildren, “I remember back before they built the Great Wall of La Jolla. We didn’t have to be back in the city by 10 pm! In my day, we didn’t have desalinization plants. No salmon farms. You could surf there anytime. Didn’t have to worry about toxic gas from wave action. We didn’t need gas masks to surf, dammit!!”
My best guess: Water is going to be a big issue from now on. Pay the money.