***Oregon Graywater Re-use Forum***
Co-sponsored by ReCode Portland and the Portland Office of Sustainable Development

Tuesday, April 8th, 3-5 pm
Lovejoy Room, Portland City Hall
1221 SW 4th Ave. Portland  OR  97204

*Background*
Graywater is water derived from household use, excluding water with human body wastes (known as blackwater).  Approximately 65% of water used for interior uses can be recycled as graywater.  In Portland, this equals about 68 gallons of water per person per day that could be used for exterior irrigation, if graywater became legally accessible to Oregonians.

However, under current Oregon state regulations, the exterior re-use of graywater is so prohibitively difficult to permit it is essentially illegal.  These regulations result in sending significant amounts of re-usable water into the sewer system, while using fresh potable water for irrigation needs.  As the state's population grows, old sewer systems are chronically overtaxed and water demand for irrigation is outstripping our existing resources.

It is time to change the state's graywater regulations to allow for water conservation through sustainable design!

*Forum Focus*
Many states, including Washington, California, Arizona and New Mexico, already have regulations allowing the exterior re-use of graywater.  To change Oregon's regulations will take legislative action.  This forum will discuss what Oregon's law should look like to achieve the best combination of ecological sustainability and human & ecosystem health. Several Oregon legislators have expressed interest interest in sponsoring such a bill in the 2009 Legislative Session, and this is an opportunity for you to help shape the substance of this legislation.

Before the forum, we will send out summaries of the graywater regulations in other states, as well as a draft of what Oregon's could look like.  This will serve as the basis for discussing the practical application of different approaches to graywater regulations, and working towards consensus as to what Oregon's legislation should be.

This forum will bring together a mix of architects, engineers, green builders, regulators, permaculture designers, water conservation specialists, and guerrilla graywater users.  We hope you can make it! Please contact to Brenna Bell, brenna@tryonfarm.org, (503)245-3847, if you are interested in attending the forum or have input or questions for the discussion.  For more information about the Recode Portland campaign, visit www.recode.ws

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