All About Rainwater Harvesting & Water Reuse

This brief guide is about the process of rainwater harvesting and reusing water for alternative purposes. Rainwater harvesting describes the process of capturing of rainwater and water run-off for reuse, as opposed to allowing it to run-off to the drainage system.

Rainwater Collection

Rainwater can be collected from many different sources including building roofs and surface water drainage, car parks and hard standings, and in many other places rain water can be collected and then diverted to a reservoir, pond, storage tank, well, shaft, borehole or other storage vessel.

The rainwater that is collected can be used for many different purposes including domestic use following proper treatment water, irrigation in domestic gardens, commercial irrigation, watering livestock, commercial applications etc. When treated correctly the rainwater that is harvested can also be used as drinking water, winter storage and for other purposes such as recharging groundwater reservoirs.

Rainwater Harvesting Systems

There are many different types of rainwater harvesting system, from simple ones that can be installed quickly at minimal cost, to complex, fully automated harvesting systems that need that are more suitable for large scale and commercial applications. At its most basic level a simple rainwater harvesting system compromises a series of simple plumbing components that collect the rain water and return it to a central storage vessel. Such systems are usually quick and fairly simple to install but still offer the ability to collect and reuse rainwater that would otherwise simply discharge to the drain.

Collection systems should be sized to meet the rainwater demand throughout the summer months but must also be large enough to support daily water consumption. Specifically, the rainfall catchment area should be big enough to ensure an adequate flow. Additionally, the rainwater storage tank should be big enough to hold all the rain water from the collection harvesting system.

World Class Rainwater Harvesting & Reuse Solutions

Water Treatment Services is a leading independent UK water and wastewater treatment, air, energy and environmental services company offering expert water management solutions including water treatment, industrial wastewater treatment, water harvesting, Indoor Air Quality solutions, energy efficiency and engineering support services.

With offices in London serving the South and South East England, Manchester (North West), Birmingham (Midlands), Bristol (South East England and Wales), Leeds (North and North East) and Glasgow (Scotland), supported by regional teams of specially trained engineers, site service specialists and technical experts we can offer energy conservation solutions across the whole of the UK.