Activists recycling dirty water

OAKLAND, Calif., May 31 (UPI) -- Environmentalists in California and other western states are promoting the use of dirty or "gray" water to flush toilets and irrigate gardens.

Gray water use is legal in California, but the state's plumbing code makes it complicated and expensive to put in a system to recycle water from sinks, showers and washing machines, The New York Times said Thursday.

As a result, many homeowners have installed un-permitted plumbing systems.

Groups such as the Greywater Guerrillas in Oakland, Calif., have even published do-it-yourself instructions, the newspaper said.

Art Ludwig, an ecological systems designer in Santa Barbara, Calif., said he has never heard of a single case of health problems from using gray water. However, he strongly discourages ponds of exposed water because of mosquitoes.

He also cautions against crossing plumbing lines, using gray water on fruits and vegetables that are eaten raw or allowing water contaminated by effluent, toxic cleansers or infectious diseases to enter the gray water system, the newspaper said.