Grey Water: Homeowner Gets Creative To Make Each Gallon Count

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – One Sacramento woman has installed a unique way to get the water she already uses in her home to water her lawn.

With each shower and bath, Karen Sanders is trying to make each gallon count in her Sacramento home.

"We all have to work together to get through this. If we don't, you know, we're all going to pay – big time," Sanders said.

Sanders says she's always been water-wise, but wanted to do more to help meet the Sacramento Water Authority's 32% conservation mark.

"It's a fountain pump, essentially," Sanders said.

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"I wanted something simple, easy, quick, cheap!" Sanders said. "To me, it was a simple problem – get the water out of my tub into my yard."

Which she funnels from her tub full of leftover water to her lawn.

"It doesn't take very long to pump it out," Sanders

But are greywater systems like this legal?

According to the Sacramento Water Agency, it is. A spokesperson tells us it's been legal since 2009, but they recommend people check with the building inspection department to make sure your neighborhood doesn't require a permit.

While Sanders is looking into the permit process, she hopes her D.I.Y. conservation effort gets other innovative ideas flowing.

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"I'd feel pretty good if I shared this with people and other people think, 'That's a pretty decent idea. I want to do it,'" Sanders said.

Karen says she still hasn't figured out the perfect watering schedule just yet, but says she'll probably use between 5-8 gallons every 3 to 4 days.

She says the one thing to keep in mind: if you try something like this at your home, you'll likely have to cut one end of the hose to properly secure it to the end of the pump.