Abstract
In large cities, rainwater tanks are used to save mains water, but in peri-urban and rural areas, rainwater tanks are used as a sole water supply for many households, as these regions often do not have any other means of water supply. This paper investigates the performance of a rainwater harvesting system (RWHS) in peri-urban regions of Greater Sydney, Australia. Considering the daily rainfall data over the entire period of record at ten different locations, it has been found that a 5 kL tank can meet 96% to 99% of the demand for toilet and laundry use depending on the location in Greater Sydney regions. However, in the driest year, a 5 kL tank can meet 69% to 99% of toilet and laundry demand depending on the location. Based on the results of life cycle cost analysis, it has been found that a 5 kL tank has the highest benefit–cost ratio (ranging from 0.86 to 0.97) among the eight possible tank sizes examined in this study. Interestingly, for a 5 kL tank, with a combined use (i.e., toilet, laundry and irrigation), the current water price in Sydney needs to be increased by 3% to 16% to achieve a benefit–cost ratio exceeding one. A set of regression equations are developed which can be used to estimate reliability using the average annual rainfall data at any arbitrary location in the peri-urban regions of Greater Sydney. The method presented in this paper can also be applied to other Australian states and other countries to estimate water savings and reliability of a RWHS using daily rainfall data.
Highlights
Rainwater harvesting is an alternative water supply method that has become popular in recent years in Australia [1]
This paper investigates the performance of a rainwater harvesting system (RWHS) in peri-urban regions of Greater Sydney, Australia
Considering the daily rainfall data over the entire period of record at ten different locations, it has been found that a 5 kL tank can meet 96% to 99% of the demand for toilet and laundry use depending on the location in Greater Sydney regions
Summary
Rainwater harvesting is an alternative water supply method that has become popular in recent years in Australia [1]. In urban areas, where mains water supply is present, a RWHS is used to save mains water. This provides greater flexibility in water use during the time of water restrictions, as rainwater can be used for non-potable purposes such as gardening and the washing of cars and hard surfaces. In rural and peri-urban regions of Australia where mains water is not available, rainwater tanks are used as water source for a variety of purposes such as drinking, washing and gardening. In the case of peri-urban regions, a RWHS should be designed to have a higher reliability, i.e., a RWHS should be able to meet the desired demand on most days in a year
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