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Research on Illinois Graywater Laws and Contacts

Posted by Natalie Reed on January 24, 2026

A student on the Land and Water iCAP team, Lillian Gilbert, conducted research on Illinois state laws on graywater usage. Currently, in Illinois, the use of graywater is prohibited by the plumbing code, making it impossible to implement a system that saves and reuses water for non-potable uses such as toilet flushing and lawn irrigation. This research project was conducted to review Illinois and other states' laws on the use of graywater in plumbing systems to help us better understand how to implement a policy allowing graywater use in Illinois. Additionally, research was conducted on other institutions across Illinois involved in water conservation issues that could serve as potential partners in changing the Illinois plumbing code to allow the use of graywater. Attached are the products of the research project, including a contact list of other Illinois institutions involved with water conservation, a list of graywater regulations from other US states, and the final research project document detailing the project's findings.