I am curious how they can reuse storm drain water for sidewalk cleaning when the "grey water" regulations say that the water cannot reenter the storm drain system? Additionally, it was my understanding that water from street run off (storm drain water) needed to pass through the processing plant. It is possible that is what is happening and there is a device that recaptures the water, but the article doesn't elaborate...this is a big deal. I'd like to hear more.

Also a "thank you" to Alex McIntyre for further keeping ahead of the critics by posting signs along Santa Cruz Ave. indicating that recycled water would be used for the power washing.

Signs were posted downtown that the streets would be power washed. On the OPPOSITE side of SOME of the power wash signs were signs that recycled water would be used. I drove by the sign by the Wells Fargo Bank numerous times and was not aware that recycled water was to be used because only the power wash sign was visible.

Proper communication and outreach would include power wash AND using recycled water on the SAME sign! Especially considering the power wash signs were handwritten. The idea of including wash and recycled water should have been a no-brainer, especially in this water-conscious environment. I would give the city a big fat D- for this minimal effort.

The city staff must improve communication and outreach for projects to succeed -- timeliness, accuracy, complete information to the community and affected parties. Two glaring examples are the Santa Cruz Avenue sidewalks trial implementation and the Ravenswood/Alma intersection implementation (see Web Link

Using grey water is a great idea, but what about using it to irrigate our parks vs washing down the sidewalks?

all this concern on some recycled water (a minimal amount) being used to keep the town clean, as I drive by all these green lawns.... if you want your message to be heard, try a little bleach in a thin-stream spray bottle, take a walk late one night, and anoint the green-lawn crowd with a title upon their lawn:

"I'm selfish"

John:

what a great idea: vandalize your neighbors property.

Something tells me you're exceeding your water allotment, Menlo Voter...or is it a guilty conscience?

Green lawns:

no guilty conscience here. I live in a townhouse barely use any water for irrigation at all. We're UNDER our allotment. How about you?

My comment was made because I don't think there's ever an excuse for vandalizing another's property. Whether you think they're wasting water or not.

Recycled water is NOT grey water. Silicon Valley Clean Water (the Sewage Treatment Plant servicing Menlo Park) creates recycled water (almost +8M gallons per day) and that water is recycled.

It contains a little more salt than your normal drinking water, but is actually on a parts per million basis cleaner than Hetch Hetchy warter.

Roy Thiele-Sardina
Director - West Bay Sanitation District

What is grey water?
Did MP use grey water or recycled water for cleaning sidewalks?

Grey water is water taken from your sink and/or showers and tubs. Many houses are plumbed with a second drain system to divert this water to a holding tank to be used in watering gardens and such. it is illegal to use this in ANY way that could make it to the bay without being treated.

It is DIFFERENT from rain water systems, which catch rainwater and put it in cisterns. we had a home in the midwest with an entire basement that was a cistern for rainwater, which was then used to water the landscaping and gardens (multi acre)