On September 10, the City Council of Golden, Colorado, approved a “Laundry-to-Landscape” (L2L) graywater ordinance – the first in Colorado to focus exclusively on L2L systems, and only the fourth graywater ordinance in the state. Golden’s ordinance allows participating single-family residences to water non-edible outdoor plants with water from their laundry machines and laundry room sinks, meaning the potable water they would have used for irrigation can be saved. The ordinance is a step toward achieving Golden’s sustainability goal of reducing per capita total water use by at least 15% by 2030.

To implement its graywater ordinance the City developed a Graywater System Design Criteria Manual. The manual establishes uniform design criteria to ensure L2L systems installed by Golden's residents meet the ordinance requirements.

Click the link below to download a copy of the manual from the City's website.