Is recycled water really safe

[Lillian07]

My daughter is working on the science project ‘is recycled water really safe’. Where can we find recycled water to use for watering the grass samples. The project doesn’t specify the type of recycled water. Thank you

[alyssaSTEMg]

Hi Lillian,

Since you are testing these on plants I did not find water solutions specifically for drinking safety. One way to use recycled water is collecting grey water on you own. Grey water is relatively clean waste water, and one way to collect it is from your gutters. Make sure your gutters are clean and have them pour rain water into a bucket. This can be used to water your plants, and many experts say its even better for plants that regular water.
This is one of probably many ways to get waste water.

Thankyou,
Alyssa

[LilGreenFrog]

Hi Lillian,
I agree with Alyssa that gray water is a good place to start. You could also collect from other gray water sources, like from handwashing dishes, or baths, or from the clotheswasher before it drains. That way you'd get various soaps in your gray water, and they might give you different results.
When towns water with recycled water they frequently put up signs that say "this grass is watered with ditch water, do not drink" or something. So another option would be water from your street gutter. It would have contaminants from the road, which might also give you different results on grass. However, that water also has the potential to have contaminants like 'traces of cat pee', etc. So you'd want to collect that water with her, and be sure to wear gloves and wash hands after. I don't think its a big deal, since most of us have played in gutter water at some point in childhood, but its good to be rigorous with safety.

Best,
Lara

[Lillian07]

Lara,
We don’t have any rain/snow in the forecast but we do have some snow on the ground. If we scrapped of the top layer of clean snow and waited for it to melt, as it would in a gutter, would this work as recycles water. Or, Since the project calls for recycled water would it be okay to use bath water as you mentioned. Wasn’t sure if grey water and recycled were the same.

[cnoonan180]

Hello!

Bathwater may also be a good source of "recycled" water as it will have different oils and soaps in it which I agree may give you different results in terms of grass growth when you water the grass with it due to the different chemicals in the water. Another source of "recycled water" could be water used for cooking such as that from pasta as this may have different salts in it which could affect grass growth. All great suggestions of sources from the other mentors!

Recycled water by definition is stormwater, rainwater, or treated effluent. So, snow does count as recycled water to use in your project. Greywater, however, is slightly different than recycled water since greywater describes household wastewater or water that has previously been used for gentle household purposes such as cooking, washing, or bathing. So greywater is technically recycled water but before it has been treated or reused.

Additionally, make sure you have a control pot of grass for the project so you are able to compare the growth of the grass watered with recycled water versus pure water. If you are looking to find drastically different results between the pure and recycled water grass growth, I suggest watering the grass using water from a pond or other body of freshwater as pond water that is generally non-moving will likely contain many elements/nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus that will positively affect grass growth. Be careful if you choose to handle this water as many bacteria will most likely be present! Make sure to wash your hands and keep the water contained!!

Here is a link where you can read more about recycled water and it's specific definition as stated above:
http://www.mtbuller.com.au/uploads/file ... g_FAQs.pdf

Good luck with the project!
-cnoonan180

[HappyQuarantineParent90]

cnoonan180 Thanks for your answer. REALLY useful!