Colorado State University's Sybil Sharvelle, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering and head of CSU's Urban Water Center, thinks there's potential benefit to capturing graywater and stormwater to supplement traditional water supplies, according to SOURCE.

Sharvelle served on a 12-member national committee that looked at benefits and challenges of using stormwater and graywater as a supplemental resource during times of drought and shortages.

The National Academies report, released Dec. 16, took two years to produce. It breaks down the costs, benefits, risks and regulations involved with using alternative water sources, SOURCE reported.

Graywater is defined as any household water, excluding wastewater from toilets, which is called blackwater, according to http://www.letsgogreen.com. Most graywater comes from kitchen sinks, dishwashers, bathroom sinks, tubs and showers.

Stormwater is water from rainfall or snow that can be measured downstream in a pipe, culvert or stream shortly after the precipitation event, the National Academies report said.

The report suggests using graywater for toilet flushing and irrigation can help places like Los Angeles create savings.

According to SOURCE, the report references Eloy Detention Center in Arizona, which reused graywater from showers and hand-washing to flush toilets. The facility saved 20 gallons per day per inmate.

To learn more about the study, go to http://bit.ly/1T2fk9h

— Staff reports