Grey water

[Vannesa TheParticipant]

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.

[Vannesa TheParticipant]

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?

[Vannesa TheParticipant]

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 4 months, 3 weeks ago by Vannesa The.

[Jean AquindeKeymaster]

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 4 months, 3 weeks ago by Jean Aquinde.
• This reply was modified 4 months, 3 weeks ago by Jean Aquinde.

[Vannesa TheParticipant]

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!

[Jean AquindeKeymaster]

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

[Jean AquindeKeymaster]

Hi Vanessa,

Just an update to your first set of queries,

> Saibai Islanders currently doesn’t have any greywater collection system in place.

> The community honours its cultural and custodial relationships with the land and sea. Check this resource: Respecting country: A sustainable waste strategy for First Nation communities to gain more understanding in this topic.

Regards,
Jean

• This reply was modified 4 months, 1 week ago by Jean Aquinde.

[Vannesa TheParticipant]

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?

[Vannesa TheParticipant]

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.

[Jean AquindeKeymaster]

Hi Vanessa,

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

Regards,
Jean

• This reply was modified 4 months ago by Jean Aquinde.

[Jean AquindeKeymaster]

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

[Vannesa TheParticipant]

Thank you so much for all the information, it helps a lot!

[Vannesa TheParticipant]

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.

[Vannesa TheParticipant]

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.

[Sai Rupa DevKeymaster]

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 3 months, 1 week ago by Sai Rupa Dev.

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