guelph residential greywater field test final report - City of Guelph

For purposes of this workshop Guelph had retained the professional services of staff from a local office of
AECOM to assist with facilitation of the workshop, guide City staff and solicit feedback regarding the
probability and consequence of potential known issues associated with residential grey water reuse from
their individual viewpoints as well as documentation of workshop findings within a final summary report. For
reference, this complete report form this session is included in Appendix E.
It is to be noted that based on the original scope of the Guelph Greywater Field Test the Management
Framework Workshop included only the participation of Guelph staff stakeholders with discussion informed
by information attained via community stakeholder feedback received during through other elements of the
Field Test. With this in mind, it is recommended that greater community consultation be conducted by other
jurisdictions undertaking such works to best define the opportunities and challenges amongst all
stakeholders.
8.3 City of Guelph Greywater Field Test Management Frameworks
With reference to the City of Guelph Greywater Field Test it is important to acknowledge the complement of
management frameworks employed by the City as part of implementation and ongoing study as part of the
Field Test. These frameworks included the formation of new policy guidelines on a local basis (such as system
eligibility standards) but also encompassed the use of existing codes and standards from local, provincial, and
federal government entities and respective industry associations. Included below is an overview of these
individual frameworks for reference:
• City of Guelph Backflow Prevention Bylaw - bylaw defines requirement for the installation of a
premise isolation device, and type of respective device, based on the installation and ongoing
presence of an auxiliary water system. Bylaw also requires that device be tested on an annual basis
by a qualified professional to ensure proper working order and sets value of monetary fines should
compliance with such requirements not be met by the owner of the premise.
• Customer Support – throughout duration of field test participants had the ability to contact City staff,
respective home builders, and product suppliers to assist with questions regarding the system and/or
any site based issues experienced. Further to support network, each system was also inspected by a
product representative following a prolonged period of operation to assess system performance,
repair potential deficiencies, as well as to provide a refresher to homeowners on system maintenance
requirements and offer instruction on basic troubleshooting relating to common system field issues.
• General System Education – Educational information was provided to all homeowners after system
was installed outlining general function of system and required maintenance duties/frequencies.
Greywater reuse system product overview workshops were also held with product supplier, local
home builder representatives, and plumbing contractors to define system installation, operation, and
maintenance requirements.
City of Guelph Residential Greywater Field Test 44
Final Report