Abstract
Abstract This study explored the relationship private landowners have with their domestic rainwater tank and how that relationship influences the reliability of privately operated rainwater tanks for long-term performance and delivery of service. It found that tank owners generally placed a high value on their tank, desired to have them fully operational and made a reasonable effort to keep them functioning. However, the frequency and extent of maintenance action and effort was variable, and in the context of a private residence, rainwater tanks were typically afforded a low relative priority for repair when compared with other residential assets. This low relative priority could be a primary driver for the reported delay between when a fault occurs with the tank and when it is repaired. This ‘repair lag’ means that a portion of domestic rainwater tanks are likely to be non-operational at any one time. When planning a decentralised system for the management of stormwater, redundancies should be included to cover these gaps in service delivery. It is also recommended that programmes that support private landowners to maintain their rainwater tanks are implemented to minimise repair lag.
Highlights
The use of decentralised infrastructure for the management of urban environments is a widely adopted practice that often relies on the participation of privately owned properties
Long established approaches like the management of domestic sewage by septic tanks (e.g. Devitt et al 2016) are being joined by new technologies, such as household electricity generation via solar panels (e.g. Schelly 2014), grey water re-use for toilet flushing (e.g. Mankad & Tapsuwan 2011) and Stormwater Control Measures (SCMs) to manage urban stormwater (e.g. Roy et al 2014). This change comes as governments acknowledge the social, economic and environmental benefits derived from using decentralised systems (Newman & Mouritz 1996) to augment the existing centralised infrastructure, as well as increased public acceptance of their use (Mankad & Tapsuwan 2011)
The aim of this study was to assess the reliability of rainwater tanks in making a lasting contribution to reducing demand on the water supply system and impacts of stormwater runoff on waterway health. This investigation was undertaken on rainwater tanks installed as part of the Little Stringybark Creek (LSC) Project, a catchment-scale experiment located in Mount Evelyn, a typical low-medium density residential suburb of Melbourne, Australia
Summary
The use of decentralised infrastructure for the management of urban environments is a widely adopted practice that often relies on the participation of privately owned properties. Domestic rainwater tanks have become an increasingly common feature of privately owned land in many countries (Mankad & Greenhill 2014; Christian Amos et al 2016). This increase has been promoted by governments, who have used rainwater tanks as a decentralised response to water supply challenges, especially during times of limited water availability from the existing large-scale centralised infrastructure. While best known for reducing the pressure on mains water supplies, rainwater tanks are accepted as contributing to flood mitigation and the protection of waterways through the mitigation of the adverse effects of
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