This is not meant to be a trick question because the answer is No… but why is that? Collecting rainwater is not regulated in the slightest but what you do with it afterwards most certainly is if you intend to pipe it into a building or make it available for public consumption. The critical…
Projected UK population increases over the coming 25 years could place the country’s water network under severe strain, warned the head of the Environment Agency Sir James Bevan in a presentation to the Waterwise conference in London in March 2019.
An increasing number of households in the UK are being built or retrofitted with rainwater harvesting systems for use with greywater appliances – including washing machines, toilets and garden sprinklers. While this makes obvious economic sense during the rainy days of autumn and winter, do the sums still hold up in spring and summer?
The concept of harvesting rainwater is quite simple: capture – filter – store – distribute. It’s a financially- and environmentally-attractive proposition, since roughly 27% of the domestic mains water we pay for is literally flushed down the toilet. The key for installing successful rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems is in the quality of the components and…
The British Code of Practice for Rainwater Harvesting systems (BS 8515) that was in force since 2009 was superseded in 2018 by BS EN 16941-1:2018. For professionals in the architectural, design and construction industries as well as suppliers of rainwater harvesting systems, appreciating its thrust and recommendations is a must. Failure to adopt it at…
Farming and animal husbandry as an industry consumes considerable volumes of water; not just for livestock drinking water but also for general cleaning purposes such as hosing down vehicles or cleaning pathways and sleeping quarters. Depending on the type of establishment (e.g. dairy, beef cattle, stud farm etc.) consumption per animal can be as high…
Filters are the key component in rainwater harvesting systems that remove the majority of contaminants, from twigs and leaves right down to microscopic debris. Which filter type to choose depends on the volume of water being collected, with large commercial systems requiring more complex devices than relatively simpler domestic systems.
When rainwater first begins its life having just been evaporated from the surface of the planet, it is indeed pure H2O. But as it rises into the sky and forms clouds, it mixes with other substances present in the atmosphere, such as dust, pollen, spores and so on. Then it falls on your roof and…
Here in the UK, the regulations regarding non-potable water supplies are tied in with building regulations. That makes a lot of sense, because it is within the home or a commercial building that rainwater is generally collected and used. The legal instrument is the national building regulations and Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999.
UV (or Ultra-Violet) disinfection is the most common method of treating water to ensure that it meets rigorous EU bathing water standards and the UK standard for safe drinking water. It is frequently used when water is extracted from a borehole or stream, and sometimes also for rainwater. By treating the water before use, risks…