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In the desert, arguments opposing the city's proposed graywater-harvesting ordinance simply don't hold water.
The City Council should acknowledge that fact at its meeting today and pass the measure, which would require that all new homes built in Tucson after June 1, 2010, be plumbed for graywater-recovery systems.
The arguments in favor of the water-conservation measure are compelling. The Southern Arizona Home Builders Association, which initially objected to the proposal, now supports it.
Graywater systems conserve used household water so that it can be re-used outdoors. The Water Conservation Alliance of Southern Arizona says a graywater system can meet all of a typical household's outdoor water needs if it has low-water-use landscaping.
"Gray" water comes from showers, bathtubs, bathroom sinks and laundry rooms — but not from toilets and kitchen sinks.
The ordinance would require graywater plumbing only on new-home construction, and if a homeowner builds an addition with a new bedroom, bathroom and kitchen, the Star's Rob O'Dell reported Sunday. Graywater plumbing, or stub-outs, would also be required in new guesthouses.
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