The rain should not just go down the drain
The recent water management debate in the House of Lords was another reminder that the water-supply situation is in danger of undermining strategic development planning for the south-east of England.
Yet ironically, no single commentator has homed-in on the most straightforward and cost-effective way of tackling this problem – namely a return to the once-common practice of rainwater harvesting, points out the UK Rainwater Harvesting Association (UK-RHA) in the Green Building newsletter.
Modern rainwater harvesting systems (see our viewpoint feature this week) collect water that falls onto the roof of a property for subsequent use in non-potable applications, such as toilet flushing, clothes washing machines, car washing and garden watering. A domestic rainwater harvesting system can reduce mains-water consumption by around 50%.
Once widespread throughout the UK, such systems fell out of fashion with the introduction of mains water supplies. They are now experiencing a renaissance in this country which has seen a tripling of the market over the last two-years.
UK-RHA say systems are already in use on major housing developments around the UK, but do not seem to be featuring in debates surrounding the areas worst affected by water shortages. Where used, rainwater harvesting systems have been widely welcomed by Planning and Building Control Officers.
The systems are at their most cost-effective when used on commercial and public buildings where there is a combination of large roof area and a high consumption of non-drinking water. Washing of fleet vehicles for example, is a costly process that wastes the mains water which has been purified to a high standard. Using harvested rainwater instead makes excellent commercial and environmental sense.
Rainwater harvesting systems intercept water at the point of subsequent use; they do so without significant impact on the water that remains available to water-courses and aquifers. During heavy downpours, rainwater harvesting systems have an added benefit in helping to alleviate flood-risks by easing flows into the storm-water management grid.
The recent water management debate in the House of Lords was another reminder that the water-supply situation is in danger of undermining strategic development planning for the south-east of England.
Yet ironically, no single commentator has homed-in on the most straightforward and cost-effective way of tackling this problem – namely a return to the once-common practice of rainwater harvesting, points out the UK Rainwater Harvesting Association (UK-RHA) in the Green Building newsletter.
Modern rainwater harvesting systems (see our viewpoint feature this week) collect water that falls onto the roof of a property for subsequent use in non-potable applications, such as toilet flushing, clothes washing machines, car washing and garden watering. A domestic rainwater harvesting system can reduce mains-water consumption by around 50%.
Once widespread throughout the UK, such systems fell out of fashion with the introduction of mains water supplies. They are now experiencing a renaissance in this country which has seen a tripling of the market over the last two-years.
UK-RHA say systems are already in use on major housing developments around the UK, but do not seem to be featuring in debates surrounding the areas worst affected by water shortages. Where used, rainwater harvesting systems have been widely welcomed by Planning and Building Control Officers.
The systems are at their most cost-effective when used on commercial and public buildings where there is a combination of large roof area and a high consumption of non-drinking water. Washing of fleet vehicles for example, is a costly process that wastes the mains water which has been purified to a high standard. Using harvested rainwater instead makes excellent commercial and environmental sense.
Rainwater harvesting systems intercept water at the point of subsequent use; they do so without significant impact on the water that remains available to water-courses and aquifers. During heavy downpours, rainwater harvesting systems have an added benefit in helping to alleviate flood-risks by easing flows into the storm-water management grid.
posted by tony at 8:05 PM
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