infiltration

Greywater from a shower discharges into a valve box, which shields the pipe from clogging with mulch or tree roots by holding open space around the pipe.

Greywater is discharged into the mulch basin underground in a valve box and is covered with a paving stone. Because the fig tree is young it will need supplemental irrigation until it gets larger and it's roots are able to access the greywater. The distance from the tree was chosen so that it wasn't too close, but would be accessible to the tree within a year or two. After many years when the tree is much larger, the greywater line can be dug up and pulled back to irrigate farther out from the tree (along the drip line). 

Greywater pipe is shielded by rocks, and discharges into a mulched basin. The roots of multiple plants access the water as it infiltrates into the basin.

A trench for the greywater pipe is dug, ending at a mulch basin dug at the drip line around a tree. Greywater from the shower will be discharged into a valve box/mulch shield in the mulch basin so the pipe doesn't clog with mulch or roots. The greywater will disperse in the mulch around the tree.

Since branched drain systems have a constant downward slope, sometimes the infiltration ends up being deep underground. In this yard there were two obstacles that the pipe had to go under, a cement path and a water line, resulting in a very deep system. In these situations it takes more work (digging!) to create the system, and if the trees are young, more time for their roots to access the water. The greywater pipe releases its water a few inches above the mulch, and the mulch shield is usually covered with a paving stone.

Greywater is discharged into a homemade valve box, created from a five gallon plastic pot. The greywater flows into a mulch basin at the drip line of the tree. A paving stone is added to cover the plastic pot.