Alternative Water Resources for Rural Residential Development in Western Australia

Abstract

Rainwater collected from residential roofs and greywater generated from domestic uses except toilets are viewed as possible substitutes for high grade water sources which supply nonpotable indoor uses and irrigation in Australia. This paper searches for alternatives by adopting roofwater and greywater in residential envelope as per Australian water standards. A water balance model Aquacycle was applied to determine storage capacities and to evaluate the percentage reduction in water supplying, stormwater run-off and wastewater disposal, as well as volume of rainwater use and greywater reuse. This study provides the results of greywater recycling, which contributes to the greater saving of mains water supply than rainwater use, and which reduces more than half of the wastewater to receiving waters in the rural township of Cranbrook, Western Australia. The results of this study provide greywater usage (maximum reduction 32.5%) more significantly reduces scheme water supply than rainwater harvesting (maximum reduction 25.1%). Use of greywater on individual residential lots has the dramatic effect for drainage system by reduction approximately 54.1% or 88.1 m 3 /lot/year. The results of rainwater use analysis show explicitly that rainwater tanks are much more effective in intercepting Y. Zhang et al. roof runoff, with the maximum stormwater reduction 48.1% or 68.3 m 3 /lot/year. This research endeavours to offer a typical paradigm for an integrated water system in the rural residential sectors.

A Reliability Analysis of a Rainfall Harvesting System in Southern Italy

“…Different studies have highlighted the benefits of using harvested rainwater for toilet flushing [16,17]. Zhang et al [18] observe that harvesting all roof runoff for use in toilet flushing can reduce water consumption in residential buildings by about 25%.…”

“…[17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28] and Australia [18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29]. Additional studies on RWH systems have been carried out in the Mediterranean region as well.…”

An Overview of Hybrid Water Supply Systems in the Context of Urban Water Management: Challenges and Opportunities

“…Two common uses for greywater are toilet flushing and lawn irrigation. Untreated greywater can be used for subsurface irrigation [56]. Grey water reuse can help to reduce reliance on traditional water sources that are under stress and it can also significantly reduce wastewater discharge [57,58].…”

“…It can potentially save a significant amount of domestic water demand [60,73,74]. An Australian study showed a savings of 12.3% to 25.1% in potable water use when harvested rainwater was used for toilet flushing and garden irrigation [56]. Moreover, this rainwater is a relatively high quality water source that can be directly used for non-potable uses, or with filtration and disinfection for potable uses [75,76].…”

“…An additional benefit of the use of rainwater tanks to supplement the existing water supply is to reduce localized urban flooding, improve stormwater quality (as these pollutants will remain in the tank) and minimize influx of stormwater into the sewer system [78,79]. Study from Zhang et al [56] shows residential use of rainwater can decrease the stormwater runoff by 23.4% to 48.1%. According to Gardels et al [80] rainwater runoff contains a nutrient such as nitrogen, so capturing rainwater reduces nitrogen loadings in receiving water bodies.…”