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Englewood board votes to retain local ban on residential graywater systems
Summary
The Englewood City Water and Sewer Board voted to keep a local prohibition on residential graywater systems when a new Colorado law allowing graywater takes effect in 2026, citing concerns about public health, treatment capacity and implementation timing.
The Englewood City Water and Sewer Board voted to maintain a local prohibition on residential graywater systems as the state law that permits those systems comes into effect in January 2026.
Director Van Rai told the board "what we're bringing today is a local ordinance in Englewood that would maintain a local prohibition on graywater systems" and framed the proposal as a temporary opt-out to protect "public health, water quality, and city infrastructure." He explained graywater typically includes wastewater from showers, sinks and laundry that can be reused in a home's plumbing or for outside irrigation.
Board members asked whether older properties might already divert graywater for irrigation and whether preexisting systems would be legal. Van Rai and Deputy City Attorney McDermott said such cases would be evaluated individually; Van Rai cautioned that the city is not ready to implement the code and building changes the statewide rule would require by Jan. 1. Van Rai added the prohibition preserves the "status quo" while the city studies the programmatic and technical impacts.
Given a tight schedule, Chair Moore moved the item to a vote; the board approved the prohibition by voice vote. The board directed staff to retain the local ban while the city assesses code, backflow prevention, water-rights implications and potential treatment impacts before considering any future change.
