Rainwater - A Valuable Resource
Rainwater Tanks Supplied and Installed at the Green Precinct in Preston
Rainwater
Rainwater is a valuable natural resource that can be collected for household
use. Collecting rainwater in tanks and using it can reduce your water bills, provide a chlorine-free supply
of fresh drinking water, and reduce community infrastructure
costs.
Rainwater can be used for many different purposes dependant on the
quality of the rainwater you are able to capture. The biggest issue
in collecting rainwater is keeping it free of leaves, bird droppings and dead
animals, and avoiding contamination with pollutants like heavy metals and dust.
If you want to drink your rainwater it is recommended that you have the
water tested on a regular basis and if required install a filter. Pathogens such
as cryptosporidium and giardia may be present in rainwater, and in urban areas
there is a risk of chemical contamination from lead and other compunds. It
should be remembered that drinking rainwater is undertaken at the choice and
risk of the homeowner and no guarantee is given that it is safe by either the
installer or supplier of the tank.
On a positive note, studies of
chemical water quality from rainwater tanks in urban areas have on the whole
have suggested that levels of metal contamination are unlikely to exceed
Australian Drinking Water Guideline (ADWG) values except where a major source of
industrial pollution is located nearby.
However it should be stressed
that test results will depend on location and since there is limited data,
it is not possible to conclude whether significant health risks from chemical
contaminants may be associated with regular rainwater consumption. More
information is needed on the quality of collected rainwater in the urban
Australian context, particularly in respect to airborne industrial
pollutants and vehicle exhaust emissions.
Until this data becomes
available we recommend that rainwater be used where there is no possibility of
drinking it . Examples of low risk uses would be on the garden, in the
toilet and in the washing machine.