Abstract
Domestic rainwater harvesting (DRWH) is widely recognized as an alternative source of water in Taiwan because of water shortages. This suggests that rainwater potential should be maximized and quantified. In this article, we assess the potential of DRWH at a national level. To consider the climatic, building characteristic, economic, and ecological aspects of DRWH, we propose three categories: (1) theoretical; (2) available; and (3) environmental bearable rainwater potential. Four main steps were followed to develop the proposed framework: (1) Fifteen rainfall zones across Taiwan were generated through cluster analysis based on the average annual 10-day rainfall distributions of rainfall stations and administrative districts; (2) The roof area in each rainfall zone was estimated using a geographic information system (GIS) and land use classification database; (3) The weighted percentage of rainwater use in each rainfall zone was determined by the optimal point on the storage capacity and rainwater supply reliability curve for an equivalent building from each building type; (4) The percentage of the total roof area used to harvest rainwater in each region depends on the downstream impact of the stream flow. The procedures developed in this study constitute an effective tool for preliminarily estimation of the national DRWH potential.
Highlights
Rainwater harvesting is the process of capturing, conveying, and storing rainwater for future use
Water captured by rainwater harvesting systems provides a main source of portable water, supplement source of potable water, and a supplement source of non-portable water
The purpose of this study is to develop a set of universal definitions for potential Domestic rainwater harvesting (DRWH) that can be used to quantify rainwater as a new obtainable water resource at national/regional levels
Summary
Rainwater harvesting is the process of capturing, conveying, and storing rainwater for future use. Ancient societies have developed various rainwater harvesting technologies and constructions such as agricultural dams, runoff control methods, and reservoir or cistern construction in urbanized areas [1]. Water captured by rainwater harvesting systems provides a main source of portable water, supplement source of potable water, and a supplement source of non-portable water (i.e., toilet flushing, irrigation and car washing). The use of rainwater harvesting systems occurs mainly for non-portable water supplies but it has recently become an important alternative water resource to address the water shortage in urban and sub-urban areas among developed countries [2,3]. The application of rainwater harvesting in both rural and urban areas of developing countries is well documented [6,7,8]
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