Rainwater harvesting and management – policy and regulations in Germany

Abstract

This paper discusses the most important policies and regulations supporting the decentralized management, harvesting and utilization of rainwater in Germany, where such measures have been increasingly applied during the last few decades. The development and implementation of specific policies and regulations contributed significantly to that trend. They also work as incentives for the development of advanced technologies and businesses as well as the widespread and growing implementation of measures for decentralized rainwater management, harvesting and utilization by public and private actors. This development can generally be associated with environmental and economic concerns related with required adaptation to changes in climate, demographic structures and infrastructures as well as climate resilience including flood control and drought resistance. The addressed and supported measures can be assigned to the two focus areas ‘Decentralized rainwater harvesting and utilization’, aiming for saving of precious fresh water resources and centrally supplied drinking water, as well as ‘decentralized rainwater retention and management’, aiming for flood control and protection of existing infrastructures and ecosystems. The decentralized management of rainwater and its separation from combined sewer systems at the source is generally regarded as the state of the art and basic condition for sustainable municipal wastewater management.

A Review of Rainwater Harvesting in Malaysia: Prospects and Challenges

“…Australian government has also launched the Home Water Wise Rebate scheme, which provides subsidies to residents who have implemented RWHS for non-potable domestics uses [131]. In Germany, the government supported the installation of RWHS in new or existing households by subsidizing 1/3 of the total costs or up to €2000 [132]. Other countries such as Japan, Uganda, USA, and Germany have also paid attention to encourage RWHS implementation by providing subsidy and low interest, subsidy for construction materials, rebates and tax exemptions, and exemptions from stormwater taxes, respectively.…”

The Quality of Stored Rainwater for Washing Purposes

“…In the UK, storage of rainwater for home use is popular and has a long tradition [16]. In Germany, one third of all new buildings use rainwater for household purposes through local government subsidies [17]. Similarly, Spain has launched a national program of subsidies for RWH in new buildings [18].…”

“…Less detergent means less pollution of both the wastewater treatment plant and the environment and less detergent residue in clothes which is particularly beneficial for allergy sufferers. Matrix of water usage and allowed water quality in household needs [13,14,17,18,[28][29][30]. Figure 1.…”

Recent Advances in Modelling and Implementation of Rainwater Harvesting Systems towards Sustainable Development

“…The effectiveness of the RWH system in water savings and conservation has been demonstrated across the globe covering a wide range of climatic conditions and applications, e.g., in Australia [10], in Germany [11], in the USA [6], in Brazil [12], in the UK [13], in Italy [14], in China [15], in South Korea [16] and in West Asia and North Africa [9,[17][18][19][20]. The quality of harvested rainwater largely depends on the surrounding environment, the tank material and maintenance of the RWH system.…”