Raw, if you are really interested in rainwater harvesting, go to the appropriate authorities in your state and find out what is legal. There may be some restrictions but that is probably something you can do. Generally, it is gray water recycling that is fraught with significant difficulties. Water law is highly regional/state controlled so I would not worry about what is said on the radio and would rather go to the powers that be to find out what truly is allowed.

Karen, Austin has been on water restrictions for decades now. Right now, they have one day a week watering in the evenings on your assigned day and they are thinking of making ALL outdoor watering verboten soon. Washing your car is verboten now too. Heavy fines if you water illegally or have water drain off over sidewalks and down the street. The loophole is that hand holding a hose is still allowed, so the wealthier hire people to hand water their gardens . ALSO they are digging wells and are not covered under the municipal rules. Texas water laws about ground water is if you own the land , then it is the law of capture. They have had some really juicy rainstorms this summer in Austin and east, but the reservoir that they draw from is west and they have not gotten the rain for years now. It is down to 33% and still dropping. We are in a huge growth spurt of new developments that want to draw out of the lake too. It is crazy. Towns around Austin are at level 4 drought restrictions and have outlawed all watering. It changes from town to town, even what the different levels mean. Kinda like the weather passing over our heads. The Rice Farmers downstream have given up on one crop a year out of two. They have been denied the water out of the lake.

Good for you. I'd say if you had the persistence to do this, then you should take on the county health department for your greywater system. It will be hard work - or at least at-times-possibly-frustrating work - but it sounds like you have the commitment to see it through. Congrats (and good luck with the greywater system!) :) Dee

We are now down to a household limit of 150 litres of water per person, per day. Forget being waterwise - bucketing the bath & washing water is a matter of survival. And, yes, it does require mega effort, doesn't it? Depending on your individual circumstances, there are ways around the buckets. I know someone with a rather high set laundry on an exterior wall (mine is on ground level in the middle of the house) who simply fitted a diverter to the plumbing pipe and runs the water into an Otto bin and uses an electric pressure pump (the kind that automatically turns on when you open a tap) to hose the garden. From what I gather, the untreated grey water has more of an impact on the soil than the plants - this, of course, affects the plants but the soil changes are more permanent. Green Plumbers (see below) outlines some of these concerns. However, soil microbes can do some amazing things (and the used engine oil which the previous owner disposed of along the fenceline gave me some practical experience). I maintain a good cover of mulch and add a cap full of Seasol to each bucket of grey water to keep up the microbe level. If I use fertiliser, it's blood and bone and I use animal manure when I can get it off farm. There is a grey water recycling system which puts the used water from bathroom and laundry through a series of filters and then pumps it back for toilet flushing and garden use. It's probably quite expensive but looks impressive. Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.greenplumbers.com.au/index.php?pageID=118