gray water

noun

1. dirty water from sinks, showers, bathtubs, washing machines, and the like, that can be recycled, as for use in flushing toilets.

Word History and Origins

Origin of gray water¹

First recorded in 1975–80

Example Sentences

For 19 days, we hauled potable drinking water from distribution sites, collected gray water and creek water for flushing, and carefully rationed every drop.

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She led a publicly funded program called Water L.A., which helped capture water at more than 130 sites from Panorama City to South L.A. through strategies including installing rain tanks and gray water systems, replacing asphalt with permeable paving, and converting streetside parkways into stormwater-catching basins with native plants.

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If dumping gray water is occasional - like washing a car or wastewater by hunters and anglers - it poses very little risk, experts said.

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An attorney for the families, Brian Lipford, argued that it made little sense for the state to target his clients over gray water disposal when it allows their use of outhouses - where residents essentially relieve themselves in a hole dug into the ground.

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It’s essentially about plumbing - specifically, the disposal of gray water.

Read more on Washington Times