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Since water is such a scarce commodity on the Virgin Islands, allowing the use of composting toilets and grey water treatment systems to conserve what water you have seems a natural. The technology for both composting toilets and grey water treatment systems is fairly straight-forward. But I can't find out what the rules and regs apply in the U.S.V.I.
In case you haven't heard the terms grey water before, it generally means liquid waste from a dwelling or other establishment produced by bathing, washdown, minor laundry, and minor culinary operations, and specifically excluding toilet waste (called black water).
If you have gone to many National Parks in the U.S., you have probably used a composting toilet without even knowing it. There are quite a few manufacturers of composting toilet that have met the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) standards.
The re-use of grey water for irrigation is encouraged or at least accepted in many areas and regulations for their design do exist. It is really not an expensive, exotic or difficult principle to apply once you look at it.
If anyone is interested, here is a link to an internet site called The Gray Water Policy Center that has a ton of information about grey water laws and system design:
http://www.oasisdesign.net/greywater/law/
Unfortunately, I did not find anything on that site about the U.S.V.I. When I see a technology that is NOT addressed in a code or regulation, I assume that there is a high probability that you might face an up-hill battle to get approval from the people who have the final say. It is always easier for code enforcers to deny or delay permission and require someone to jump through endless hoops to get approval.
I would be interested to know if anyone has any experience with getting a composting toilet or grey water treatment system approved there, or any thoughts about how difficult either would be.
Posted : August 3, 2005 11:38 am
Toucano,
The toilets in our house on St. Thomas use grey water but our house is about twenty-five years old and we did not build it so we don't know anything about current installation regulations.
Posted : August 3, 2005 6:52 pm
At the cost of a buck a gallon for a 10-20 thousand gallon gray water cistrin I gave up on the idea.
Posted : August 3, 2005 8:09 pm
Many of the larger houses - if not most - have a grey water system. We use it for irrigation, toilets, etc. As Tedd pointed out the cost of cistern installation, the cost cersus benefit is often prohibitive for smaller properties. You will find that most of the larger resorts as well use grey water for irrigation. It is very common here. Composting toilets are an idea which has not had a great acceptance on the island itself but are popular with yachts without holding tanks.
Pamela.
Posted : August 3, 2005 11:41 pm
If a storage tank for grey water needed to be 10-20K, that would present a major financial burden. I have never heard of a storage tank for grey water treatment for residential use anywhere near 10-20K gallons. Most systems that I have read about use something on the order of well under 100 gallons because the idea as I understand it is to get the grey water through the system quickly without having the water sitting for a long period of time and thus going septic/anaerobic.
Some examples of grey water options can be seen here:
http://www.greywater.com/treatment.htm
FWIW, Jamaica has grey water treatment systems and an internet blurb about them here:
http://www.jsdnp.org.jm/crdc/ssupub.htm
I also found that a physics course at U.V.I. had a web page that discussed grey water treatment and has links, but nothing specific about the U.S.V.I.:
http://www.uvi.edu/Physics/SCI3xxWeb/Waste/GreyWater.html
If you put aside the 'living green and feel good' rationale, the practicality of a grey water system depends on the economics:
1. The ability to eliminate the need for a conventional septic tank to treat 'black water' sewage. I received emails from 2 different composting toilet manufacturers who said that their systems are being sold in the U.S.V.I. So it looks like it is possible to deal with true black water treatment that way without a conventional septic tank. I have seen composting toilets selling for $900 - $1500. But plumbing (and maintenance) are simple.
2. Grey water systems CAN be fairly simple if all you want to do is use it for irrigation or quite complex if you want to have near-potable water. IF the U.S.V.I. were to allow them, one would need to add the cost of a composting toilet to the cost of the grey water system they require and compare it to the cost of installing a conventional septic system in the U.S.V.I.
Is it possible or practical in the U.S.V.I.? I don't know. I don't know what it costs to have an 'average' septic tank for a 3 bedroom home installed in the U.S.V.I. Can anyone say what their experience with septic tanks and plumbing has been there?
Posted : August 4, 2005 12:37 am
I have worked at wastewater plants in USVI and I know that tanker trucks haul the "Greywater" or "partially" treated water for irrigation purposes in STT. it seems to be working great. They are also building a new SBR (Sequential Batch Reactor) on STX and STT. These new state of the art wastewater plants should help clean up the beaches. I work on another Island but hope to make it back to USVI soon when these new plants start-up. Thanks
Posted : August 4, 2005 1:00 am
