Bearnkat
Fort Worth, Texas
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Joined: 07/30/2004
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In Texas it's illegal to dump gray water on the ground. I know this is especially true in the Texas State Park system. I would never do it even if it was allowed.
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gonzo71
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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Joined: 10/05/2003
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BIKERK9 wrote:
City, counties and states each have health laws and also the federal govt for
their Park System. They are not all the same.
Grey water contains body oil, hair, food particles,
soap, and sometime holding tank chemical.
The food particles can draw insects and the soap/detergent (with phosphates)
can kill plant life if it is not biodegradable like Dawn. It can also attract animals
like curious racoons and make a muddy mess for other campers.
A Tent camper dumping 3-4 gallons is a lot less than a 30-50 gallon holding tank.
Would you be willing to empty your grey water on your front lawn 
Would you be concerned if your neighbor emptied his grey water tank to water
the lawn and plants bordering your property 
Those that can carry grey water out should. That is the difference between being
a "good outdoorsman" and a "garbage camper"
I am absolutely with you on that.
Just imagine a campsite where every few days somebody would dump 50 gallon of water in the bush with all the junk that is inside the tank. It will create a big stinky mess within a few weeks.
A tent camper with his 3 gallon wash basin is not the same as a RV with 30 or more gallon holding tank.
I have to admit that I did it once while out in the boonies. there was water available but the next dump station was around 4 hours away, I saw the stuff that came out of the gray tank. and after dumping 2 times in 4 days there was a mess in the bush.
Please don't do it.
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Two Jayhawks
lenexa ks
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I can't speak to what's legal or not but dumping gray water on the ground is not allowed at any park I've ever stayed at. Frankly I think it's gross as grey water stinks almost as bad as black water.
I wouldn't want to be any where people are doing it.
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Finally Fulltiming
Summer: Finger Lakes, NY; Winter: Somewhere warm
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Joined: 12/08/2003
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Quote: "A tent camper with his 3 gallon wash basin is not the same as a RV with 30 or more gallon holding tank."
Hate to perpetuate this topic as it's been beat to death many times over, but this quote illustrates a common misconception: Where allowed, folks don't "dump" their tanks, they leave the drain open so there is a small, constant flow. In my experience, this dissipates quickly, not leaving smelly unsightly puddles.
Storing grey water in a tank for days is what creates the odors. Constant draining is akin to outdoor showers and discarding dish water.
As to pollution, in the deserts where this practice is common, the biggest, greenest shrubs will be found at the end of an RV'er's hose.
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imgoin4it
Alamogordo, NM USA
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Joined: 10/25/2004
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This has been tossed around here and many other places in the past. In some states it is permissable to put grey water on the ground and in some states it is not. In recent years some states have changed laws to allow using grey water for things such as using wash water to irrigate lawns etc. If you do not know the difference do not do it.
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03FatBoy
Crossville, Tn.
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Joined: 12/28/2003
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BIKERK9 wrote:
City, counties and states each have health laws and also the federal govt for
their Park System. They are not all the same.
Grey water contains body oil, hair, food particles,
soap, and sometime holding tank chemical.
The food particles can draw insects and the soap/detergent (with phosphates)
can kill plant life if it is not biodegradable like Dawn. It can also attract animals
like curious racoons and make a muddy mess for other campers.
A Tent camper dumping 3-4 gallons is a lot less than a 30-50 gallon holding tank.
Would you be willing to empty your grey water on your front lawn
Would you be concerned if your neighbor emptied his grey water tank to water
the lawn and plants bordering your property
Those that can carry grey water out should. That is the difference between being
a "good outdoorsman" and a "garbage camper"
And the environmental police jump in! Blah, blah, blah! I'll bet you used disposable diapers on your kids? People make such an issue out of this gray water thing. Like one of the other posters said we waste a LOT of water in this country.
PS: The same areas that place so much restriction on grey water tell you during times of drought to save your shower water to water your outside flowers? (I guess most on here don't wash their motorhomes?)
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07Endeavor
Maryland
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Joined: 01/24/2004
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I've always wondered about this..
I, like 10-20 million other homeowners (guess), utilize a Septic System.
Where do folks think this stuff goes?
Granted, it leaches out into a drain field, but it still goes into the ground, and it's got alot more "stuff" than a gray tank.
IMHO, as long as the hose isn't directed at another site, I see no problem with leaving the gray tank valve partially open (vs one 40 gallon dump.
Of course, I still haven't figured out how to keep the animals from using the forest as a bathroom 
Tom
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becker
Conroe, Texas
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Can you imagine what it would be like with a bunch of campers dumping 40 to 50 gallons of grey water in any enclosed campground. A tent camper with 3 to 4 gallons is no big deal but a grey water holding tank of a modern camping vehicle is another. If a campgound allowed that (legal of not) I would go on down the road.
I was always taught you leave a campsite cleaner than you found it. This doesn't mean leaving food stuff, etc. behind.
Becker
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ljr
Pennsylvania
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Capeman1 wrote:If you are tent camping you can wash / rinse your dishes at your site....clean your hands from the hose....have an outdoor shower....what is the difference ?....When I was out in California they water the flowers and bushes with gray water...grass loves soapy water Ive read it in several gardening books
I was in a nohookup site in the Allegheny National Forest awhile back next to a tent camper. I'd watch him walk down to the river with a towel and a bar of soap and wash up. Then I'd do the same thing in my TT. His soapy water went into the river as other's probably has for centuries. Mine went into my gray tank and became toxic waste that would get me in all kinds of trouble if it got on the ground.
I don't get it.
Larry
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SKnight
Georgia
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Perfect solution.
As you sign in ask if it's allowed. If so, run a hose out to a good area and leave the gray tank open so it's the same as what a tent camper would put on the ground. Be courteous. If you think about it we all wash after dinner, take a shower every so often, etc. We use roughly the same amount of water, RV folks have the ability to store a lot of it if we wish. Leave the valve open to drain would be the same as a tent camper, maybe less. Some of us are pretty good at water management.
If it's not allowed, don't do it! There's a reason why!
Make sure you pull the right valve! Can't stress that enough, had a neighbor pull the black valve out of habit.
If it's allowed but you don't feel right about it, don't do it.
I don't get lost, I investigate alternative destinations.
See a guy in the campground with a telescope, that may be me.
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