EWB Challenge | Grey water

Challenges

This topic has 17 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 7 months, 2 weeks ago by Vannesa The.

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02/03/2024 at 11:57 pm #7383
Vannesa The
Participant
1) Do Saibai Islanders collect and use grey water? And if yes, what do they use it for?
2) Why is grey water more costly?
3) Is it better to recycle grey water or make a new infrastructure that can hold more rainfall for water storage?
4) How do traditional Saibai Islander cultural values and practices influence community attitudes and approaches towards the management and utilisation of greywater?
5) What is the Saibai island culture that can be affected by the greywater or will the culture affect the greywater usage?
6) Do Saibai Islanders think water is sacred? If so, will Saibai Islanders not accept the use of greywater due to their culture?

Thank you in advance.
03/03/2024 at 2:11 pm #7384
Vannesa The
Participant
I have read about the wastewater treatment plant, but I do not get how it works. Would you mind explaining to me how WWTP works and what it is used for? Is it managing both greywater and blackwater?
03/03/2024 at 2:19 pm #7385
Vannesa The
Participant
Also, is all the graywater directed directly to the WWTP, or is there any other way to access and collect it? Perhaps some of the greywater can be used to help with gardening or agriculture, as it is their culture.
- This reply was modified 9 months, 3 weeks ago by Vannesa The.
06/03/2024 at 4:58 pm #7409
Jean Aquinde
Keymaster
Hi Vannesa,

Great pondering on the connections of water, culture and the current state of greywater use of Saibai Islanders!

While I’m still seeking answers, I’m curious to know what you mean by ‘better’ in question #3? It helps to define what ‘better’ or ‘best’ means to your team to help you decide which idea or solution you’ll pursue further. Look at this resource that gives you some background on creating a Decision Matrix and listing the pros and cons.

Greywater is a form of wastewater that has the potential to be reused before it ultimately ends in the sewerage system. If you don’t capture or divert greywater from the source, it mixes with the blackwater in the sewerage system. The Queensland Government has a fantastic resource that explains how WWTP works – Questions and answers about wastewater.

I also found this resource to explain the basics of greywater systems, which touches on gardening use.

I hope this helps with your further research!

Regards,
Jean
- This reply was modified 9 months, 2 weeks ago by Jean Aquinde.
- This reply was modified 9 months, 2 weeks ago by Jean Aquinde.
06/03/2024 at 5:48 pm #7412
Vannesa The
Participant
Hi Jean,

Thank you for answering my questions and providing great resources. For question #3, I would say that the best implies at considering the robustness, less cost, less time, and using resources that are easily obtained and inexpensive.

I’m also wondering if there is a rainwater harvesting system in place for agriculture. Or what source of water do they use for agriculture? Is it from the central lagoon, from the WWTP, or other?

Thank you!
13/03/2024 at 5:15 pm #7444
Jean Aquinde
Keymaster
You’re welcome Vanessa!

Referring to your response related to question #3, they are indeed important design features! I also recommend checking our resource on General Design Considerations & those specific to Saibai Island to see what else you can add to that.

Regarding question #2, are you pertaining to the cost of installation of greywater reuse systems?

Regarding rainwater as water source, we have included that in the background section of Design Area 2. Have a read and also do check our Interactives for more information and photos.

Regards,
Jean
22/03/2024 at 12:18 pm #7511
Jean Aquinde
Keymaster
Hi Vanessa,

Just an update to your first set of queries,
Regards,
Jean
- This reply was modified 9 months ago by Jean Aquinde.
23/03/2024 at 2:10 pm #7520
Vannesa The
Participant
Hi Jean,

Thank you so much for the answers, it helps. I have one more question, it says there is challenging ground conditions at numerous sites, may I know more details of it? like what kind of ground conditions?
23/03/2024 at 2:15 pm #7521
Vannesa The
Participant
Also, when you said they don’t have a greywater collection system in place, did you mean no greywater collection system at all, both at household and for outside activities like camping? or only for the outside? Thank you.
28/03/2024 at 4:53 pm #7540
Jean Aquinde
Keymaster
Hi Vanessa,

Please refer to my answer to Tom here related to Saibai’s ground conditions.

Regards,
Jean
- This reply was modified 8 months, 4 weeks ago by Jean Aquinde.
28/03/2024 at 5:03 pm #7541
Jean Aquinde
Keymaster
Hi Vanessa,

There’s no greywater collection system in place for both households and outdoor activities.

Getting back to your original query related to cultural values and the water management approach of Islanders, have a read on Indigenous voices in water published by the Indigenous Knowledge Institute to gain further understanding.

Regards,
Jean
02/04/2024 at 10:45 pm #7566
Vannesa The
Participant
Thank you so much for all the information, it helps a lot!
03/04/2024 at 7:14 am #7567
Vannesa The
Participant
I also have another question,

May I know how much greywater is being produced in Saibai? As I cannot seem to find any information about that specific for Saibai.
11/04/2024 at 9:39 am #7589
Vannesa The
Participant
Hi,

I have a question about the wetlands; do they just consist of magrove plants? I thought of using the wetlands to filter greywater, but are there any restrictions or regulations on the use of mangrove wetlands?

Thank you.
16/04/2024 at 1:52 pm #7632
Sai Rupa Dev
Keymaster
Hi Vanessa,

You can make reasonable assumptions based on the information available. We know that Saibai Island has a population of close to 500 people. Domestic households usually produce 200L to 300L of greywater per day. If you assume 4 people in a domestic household, that is 50L to 75L of greywater produced per person per day. So, the total greywater produced would be somewhere between 25,000 L to 37,500 L.

Mangroves exist in Saibai, there are no restrictions as such, but I would advise you to take a look at the interactives and observe the wetlands in question. The majority of the mangroves on the island are coastal mangroves, across the sea. Mangroves are of cultural importance to Saibai Islanders and you’d have to make sure you are protecting the mangroves in your design. Hope that helps.

Cheers,
Sai
- This reply was modified 8 months, 1 week ago by Sai Rupa Dev.
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