Since South Australia is the driest state in Australia, it’s easy to see why an urban rainwater tank would be a good idea. Rainwater tanks in Adelaide are used for a number of purposes, and in this brief article we’ll take a look at how they work, as well as how they’re used and how their role changes in large cities, as well as how you yourself can use them to save money and the environment!
Rainwater tanks in Adelaide collect rainwater from rooftop gutters and runoff collections. Runoff is any rain that is not absorbed into the ground or evaporated back into the air. In nature, there is roughly a ten percent runoff rate, whereas in cities like Adelaide that number jumps to roughly thirty-five percent. This is due in large part to all the concrete and asphalt that keep it from being absorbed into the ground.
Rainwater tanks can be used in arid climates to preserve water from the wet season until it is needed during the dry season. They can be used in rainy climates to store excess runoff to avoid flooding. In Adelaide, they are used to catch polluted rainwater (rain tends to pick up airborne pollutants such as smog) and clean it so that it can be used for a number of purposes.
Water from rainwater tanks in Adelaide is used in large part for domestic purposes, such as toilets, showers, public waterworks, and similar functions. It is not used for drinking nearly as much as in more rural areas, as some of the rainwater tanks do not have filtration systems. To ensure that rainwater is safe to drink (although in most places if it smells clean, looks clean, and tastes clean, it’s probably clean) a filtration system such as reverse osmosis is required. These tanks suck up run- off, filter it, and then store it for use whenever it is needed.
There are a number of different uses for rainwater tanks, depending on the system you have hooked up and what part of the world you live in. However, regardless of where you live and the climate there, a rainwater tank is an investment that will eventually pay for itself in water bills, and give something back to the planet at the same time.