Gulfport: Gray Water Filtration

Q: Does anyone know if there are limitations in setting up your own house-based gray water filtration system to use on your yard? – Juju Stevens, via Facebook

A: Gulfport allows gray water systems, with a few restrictions.
“It cannot be dumped directly on the ground,” City Manager Jim O’Reilly said. Additionally, the city building code stipulates the collection system include an overflow into the city sewer, as well as a decontamination unit.

“Gray water includes waste from the bath, lavatory, and sink, except kitchen sink waste,” O’Reilly added. “Kitchen sink (including dishwasher) must empty directly into the sewer system.”

Finally, the city requires a permit so it can review each design on a case- by-case basis. This is to make sure the system complies not only with the building code, but that the system doesn’t put Gulfport in violation of its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit.

Call the Gulfport Community Development Department at 727-893-1024 for more information.