The following is how Poly Paradise will be handling gray water
issues for Burning Man 2007.

Our primary method of water disposal will be by evaporation and our secondary method will be transport off playa. At no time will we be releasing gray water directly onto the playa surface.

Gray water is defined as water from human activities not including  human or other body waste. This includes washing, showers etc.

Black water is defined as water that includes human or other body waste. This includes poop, pee, blood and that "other stuff."

At no time will Poly Paradise process black water. Burning Man has provided porto-potties for such disposal.

Our gray water will be from the following four sources:

1- Kitchen dishwater
2- Community Shower
3- Human Carcass Wash
4- Camper generated from individual cooking and showers

We are estimating the following volumes from each source:

Kitchen- 5 to 15 Gallons per Day (GpD)
Shower- 50 GpD
HCW- 10 GpD
Other- 10 GpD
------------
Total 85 GpD

Our system is designed to evaporate in excess of 10 Gallons per Hour during daylight hours and 3 during the night. Variations in weather and system irregularities will modify our actual rate.

The design of our system embodies the concept that the time  from generation to disposal is minimal, in fact, mere seconds elapse before water hits the media.

Secondary, but still important design efforts include:

1- Elimination of open standing pools
2- Ease of transport, setup, operation and takedown
3- Lowering power consumption by a factor of ten
4- Automatic operation
5- Elimination of virtually all liquid hauling by hand
6- Elimination of manual transfer pumping
7- Use of "on hand" materials to reduce costs

Here is a description of the system components and the general plan of operation.

There are three collection points interconnected by small diameter piping shallowly buried:

1- Kitchen
2- Shower
3- HCW

Each of these collection points uses a low-tech sand filter to remove particulate material. These are cleanable filters and extra sand will be brought for that use.

All liquid flows by gravity to a collection basin adjacent to the HCW. This basin is below ground level and is a section of 6" diameter pipe, 24" deep. This is allowed by BM Org as is any  other posthole. We'll bag the excavated material and re-pack the hole per BM Org requirements at the end of the event.

The evaporative media is placed atop the HCW shade structure  and allows unrestricted sun exposure. Natural air currents and wind accelerate evaporation without the need for fans. Excess media water is collected and filtered then directed to standby
storage.

Standby storage is handled by a single 55 gallon plastic drum. If at any time wastewater production radically exceeds our evap rate we will halt shower and camper inputs until we return to normal operating levels.

Liquid is transferred from the underground basin through a final, cleanable filter to the media using a 12vdc pump. A series of replaceable spray nozzles are fixed above the media and connected  via plastic tubing to the pump control valve.

An electronic timer controls on/off cycles to reduce power usage yet keep the media continuously wet.

Level sensors in both storage containers control a valve that draws  feed water first from the transfer basin, then from the standby tank as needed.

We will use a 45 watt solar panel and charge a 12v deep cycle  battery for power. A power line will be buried alongside the drain line for battery boosting, emergency operation and possibly HCW power if needed.

In the event of problems we will have spares available and a complete set of tools.

If we have leftover water at the end it will be hauled off-playa. No water will be dumped on-site.

Guidelines and rules:

Please use water sparingly.

The HCW and camper use drain at HCW will be locked at all times.  See me or Scotto for the combination to this drain. It is locked so only PP members have access. Last year a number of non-PP campers made use of our system without asking first. This year no non-PP  use will be allowed.

If you have really icky kitchen water, then use the kitchen drain. That is what it's designed for. See Sarah, Hypno, TF or Scotto for instructions.

Don't use the shower for water disposal at any time. This year our shower will be located near the kitchen area and be monitored for violations of this rule.

Don't even THINK about dumping pee bottle contents into ANY part of  our gray water system. Take it to the portos. Violation of this rule is punishable by... Suggestions, group?

Ok, not too many rules to adhere to.

If you have any questions or require further details send them my way.

Your humble Tailfeather