Yeah, reusing graywater is such a no-brainer. This sort of thing (including rainwater harvesting) should have been mandated long ago in California the way it has been here in NM and especially in AZ.

I did the various plumbing modifications so that water from the washing machine, one shower, one bathtub, and even one kitchen sink (technically this is backwater in most states) all go to irrigate plants. Plenty of folks around here have even gone the next step and put in wastewater treatment systems that allow you to reclaim all the water that goes down the drain, even backwater from toilets (with additional energy input).

In terms of accessing this water in different situations: If you have a crawlspace, you might be able to divert graywater from any source you choose without too much trouble. On a slab, however, anything but the laundry usually requires some extra work. I put in a raised platform in one bathroom to be able to divert the shower and tub water.

As far as using the water: by far the best system mimics a wastewater leach field in miniature. Basically the gray water goes passively into the ground via some kind of airspace within a shallow basin. Trees or other plants are planted around the basin. Storing gray water, something everyone seems to want to try to do, is not a good idea, it should go to irrigation as it leaves the house, and stay underground at all times. Drip systems with gray water are also a pain, because of clogging due to lint, soap scum, hair, or what have you which makes filtration a must (not the best for a maintenance free setup. Many of these systems would also require tanks, pumps, etc…

In any event, there is loads of info about this out there, Oasis designs is a premier source. Good luck!

I have my washing machine running out to water my pecan trees beside the house. The trees are around 75 years old and they do great with the extra water.

We had a water shortage in Ca back in 1974 or 5 so this is not the first time but it maybe the worst. I used a 5 gl bucket(home depot) in both showers (close as possible to the spicket) while the water heated up and then the shower. Some times a little conditioner, bar soap or shampoo would get in it but didn't hurt anything. As for toilet flush.. number one was left for the next guy then flush... number 2 was a different story. We also had a brick in the tank. Watering was based on odd or even house numbers.

In the evening my husband took the buckets out side and watered and it was ready for the next day. If it rained then we washed the car w/it or ?. 7 days a week... two 5gl containers per day from the showers =35gl per week

I now live in AZ and we are lucky to have monsoons but I still save water as much as possible. I have two 30gl trash cans w/lids just for rain water. I have 7 plastic 5gl old paint containers w/out lids which I place all around the hips of the house to catch the water then dump the water in the trash cans for storage. No bugs because they have lids. We dump some lig.fert in the trash cans and water our veg garden w/it. 2 fold! You can also purchase rain barrels and then pray for rain.

Camp Verde AZ.... formally San Diego

Good Luck