Martin Ar

Investigating the influences of season and coastal proximity on the elemental composition of harvested rainwater

Chemical qualities of harvested rainwater were assessed at two residential study sites on the east coast of Australia in relation to coastal proximity and surrounding land uses over the course of a winter and summer month. Daily rainwater samples were collected from the base outlet and surface levels of stored water for chemical analyses. High resolution inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was used to analyse 26 elements in all samples. The summer sampling regime for the industrial coastal Site 1 was dominated by wind gusts originating from the east with a total average elemental load of 25,900+/-17,000 microg/L compared to the significantly lower 10,600+/-3,370 microg/L measured during the winter month, where 84% of wind gust events originated from the west. Data for the inland Site 2, with no proximity to industry, revealed no significant changes in total average loads between the winter (4,870+/-578 microg/L) and summer (4,760+/-2,280 microg/L) months. The most abundant elements found at both sites included Na, K, Mg, and Zn. The rainwater storages at Site 2 fed from a relatively new concrete tiled roof catchment had significantly lower pH and conductivity measurements compared with those at Site 1 with an old galvanised iron roof catchment. It was concluded that seasonal differences in harvested water quality were likely influenced by prevailing wind direction and external influences such as surrounding land uses and proximity to the coast.

Rainwater tanks and microbial water quality: Are the indications clear?

Abstract Deriving maximum economic and water savings benefits from rainwater harvesting in the urban environment requires the use of rainwater for internal applications, including showering/bathing, laundry and toilet flushing. Widespread use of rainwater for these applications has been hindered by uncertainty over quality and perceptions of health risk. This study examined the presence and abundance of the faecal indicators E. coli, enterococci and total coliform in over 100 water samples collected from rainwater tanks in eastern Australia. A large proportion of samples were compliant with the requirements of mains water drinking standards, especially among those collected via a hot water system, while almost universal compliance with bathing water quality standards was observed. Indicator species were found to represent a very small proportion of total bacterial contamination and no significant correlation between faecal indicator counts and heterotrophic plate counts was observed. Furthermore, enterococci were not significantly correlated with the other indicator groups. On average, heterotrophic counts were found to be dominated by Pseudomonas spp and several other widely distributed environmental organisms. The implications of these findings with regard to the scope of domestic rainwater use in the urban environment, and the difficulty in achieving reliable risk assessment, have been discussed.