Wind, rain and bacteria: The effect of weather on the microbial composition of roof-harvested rainwater

Evans, Craig A.; Coombes, Peter J; Dunstan, R. Hugh

doi:10.1016/j.watres.2005.10.034

Cited by 176 publications

(130 citation statements)

References 24 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

112

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…RWH could also lead to a feeling of independence from centralized water supply [9]. Although rainwater sometimes fails to meet drinking water standards [14][15][16][17][18], the quality of rainwater is usually superior to that from surface water and groundwater that may have been contaminated [19]. Sazakli et al [20] report that rainwater from rooftops generally meets international drinking water quality standards.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Generalized Storage–Yield–Reliability Relationships for Analysing Shopping Centre Rainwater Harvesting Systems

Ndiritu

Moodley

Guliwe

2017

Water

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract:The objective of this study was to develop guidelines for analysing rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems of shopping centres in South Africa. A model consisting of three dimensionless relationships relating rainwater supply and demand to storage capacity, yield and reliability was formulated. Data from daily simulation of potential RWH systems of 19 shopping were used to obtain the relationships. The simulations revealed within-year storage behaviour with considerable variation of annual yield. By applying the Weibull plotting position formula, yield-reliability relationships were derived. The aim to maximize yield and reliability whilst minimizing storage identified Pareto-optimal combinations of the three variables and these combinations were used to develop two dimensionless relationships. An additional relationship based on the dependence of the slope of the yield-reliability plots on yield was formulated to enable analysis of hydrologically non-optimal systems. Verification tests using four RWH systems obtained results that matched those from simulation and the model could therefore be applied for RWH feasibility analysis and preliminary design. This study highlights the need to incorporate inter-annual variability in RWH analysis and shows how reliability can be used to quantify this. This study further demonstrates how reliability can be fully integrated into regression relationships for generalized RWH analysis.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Generalized Storage–Yield–Reliability Relationships for Analysing Shopping Centre Rainwater Harvesting Systems

Ndiritu

Moodley

Guliwe

2017

Water

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Based on observations during this study, RHRW was being contaminated with rooftop faecal material and dust. The source of this contamination was not specifically studied in this paper but it was observed and previously described in other studies (Evans et al 2006b;Ahmed et al 2012).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 74%

Microbial quality and suitability of roof-harvested rainwater in rural villages for crop irrigation and domestic use

Jongman

Korsten

2016

Journal of Water and Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The study aimed at assessing the microbiological quality and suitability of roof-harvested rainwater (RHRW) for crop irrigation and domestic use. In total, 80 rain water tanks (246 samples) across three rural villages (Ga-Molepane, Jericho and Luthngele) were visited. Culture based techniques were used to isolate bacterial microbes and identities were confirmed using matrix assisted laser desorption/ ionization time of flight (MALDITOF MS). Uncultured fungal populations were also identified using pyrosequencing. Salmonella spp. (3%), L. monocytogenes (22%), total coliforms (57.7%), Escherichia coli (E. coli) (30.5%), Enterococcus spp. (48.8%), Pseudomonas spp. (21.5%) were detected in RHRW samples after rainfall. Fungal sequences belonging to species known to cause fever, coughing and shortness of breath in humans (Cryptococcus spp.) were identified. This study indicates that RHRW quality can be affected by external factors such as faecal material and debris on the rooftops. The use of untreated RHRW could pose a potential health risk if used for irrigation of crops or domestic use, especially in the case of a relative high population of immunocompromised individuals. This study does not dispute the fact that RHRW is an alternative irrigation water source but it recommends treatment before use for domestic purposes or for watering crops.

show abstract

“…coli, TTC, TC and Enterococci spp. counts can vary significantly between different sources and values above the guideline can be expected in rainwater tanks (Evans et al, 2006;Richardson et al, 2009). The E.coli enumeration from the overflows in the Western Sydney study showed a high variation.…”

Section: Water Quality Of the Overflowmentioning

confidence: 94%

Rainwater Harvesting Systems in Australia

Sterren¹,

Rahman²,

Dennis³

2012

Ecological Water Quality - Water Treatment and Reuse

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Wind, rain and bacteria: The effect of weather on the microbial composition of roof-harvested rainwater

Cited by 176 publications

References 24 publications

Generalized Storage–Yield–Reliability Relationships for Analysing Shopping Centre Rainwater Harvesting Systems

Generalized Storage–Yield–Reliability Relationships for Analysing Shopping Centre Rainwater Harvesting Systems

Microbial quality and suitability of roof-harvested rainwater in rural villages for crop irrigation and domestic use

Rainwater Harvesting Systems in Australia

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About