Advancing stormwater harvesting: a comprehensive review of current drivers, implementation advancements, and pathways forward

Abstract

ABSTRACT This review paper examines stormwater harvesting (SWH) as a solution to address urban water management challenges caused by urbanization, climate change, and population growth. Despite the potential benefits of SWH in urban areas, barriers related to planning, technological, and societal aspects have limited its widespread adoption. To address these challenges and move forward, this paper presents a scoping literature review on SWH, identifying key drivers for studying SWH and exploring various factors influencing its implementation, including planning considerations, technical and non-technical aspects, and benefit and risk assessments. These factors are categorized into three phases: pre-implementation, implementation, and post-implementation. The study findings demonstrate the critical importance of considering a multidisciplinary approach and various factors in designing and implementing SWH systems, such as regulations, decision-making tools, sustainable technology, end-use, and social and economic impacts. While there is diverse motivation for studying SWH, the focus has predominantly been on technology development and testing, with limited attention given to socio-economic analysis of SWH practices. Similarly, although there is a wealth of literature on system design optimization, there is a lack of research on regulations, post-implementation monitoring, and social analysis. However, this review highlights the substantial research in the field, which can contribute to the wider adoption of SWH practices for more sustainable urban water management in the future. The proposed comprehensive roadmap is a valuable tool for guiding future research efforts and practical implementation of SWH systems, ensuring a thorough understanding of the entire SWH system before embarking on new projects.