A Reliability Analysis of a Rainfall Harvesting System in Southern Italy

Rainwater harvesting (RWH) may be an effective alternative water supply solution in regions affected by water scarcity. It has recently become a particularly important option in arid and semi-arid areas (like Mediterranean basins), mostly because of its many benefits and affordable costs. This study provides an analysis of the reliability of using a rainwater harvesting system to supply water for toilet flushing and garden irrigation purposes, with reference to a single-family home in a residential area of Sicily (Southern Italy). A flushing water demand pattern was evaluated using water consumption data collected from a sample of residential customers during an extended measurement campaign. A daily water balance simulation of the rainwater storage tank was performed, and the yield-after-spillage algorithm was used to define the tank release rule. The model’s performance was evaluated using rainfall data from more than 100 different sites located throughout the Sicilian territory. This regional analysis provided annual reliability curves for the system as a function of mean annual precipitation, which have practical applications in this area of study. The uncertainty related to the regional model predictions was also assessed. A cost-benefit analysis highlighted that the implementation of a rainwater harvesting system in Sicily can provide environmental and economic advantages over traditional water supply methods. In particular, the regional analysis identified areas where the application of this system would be most effective.

[1]  Joan Rieradevall,et al.  Cost-efficiency of rainwater harvesting strategies in dense Mediterranean neighbourhoods , 2011 .

[2]  P. Döll,et al.  Rainwater Harvesting for Small-Holder Horticulture in Namibia: Design of Garden Variants and Assessment of Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation , 2015 .

[3]  F. Abdulla,et al.  Roof rainwater harvesting systems for household water supply in Jordan , 2009 .

[4]  B. Engel,et al.  Improving Water Supply Systems for Domestic Uses in Urban Togo: The Case of a Suburb in Lomé , 2012 .

[5]  Marlene van der Sterren,et al.  Quality and quantity monitoring of five rainwater tanks in Western Sydney, Australia , 2013 .

[6]  A. Alexopoulos,et al.  Rainwater harvesting, quality assessment and utilization in Kefalonia Island, Greece. , 2007, Water research.

[7]  I. Adeniyi,et al.  The physico-chemical and bacteriological quality of rainwater collected over different roofing materials in Ile-Ife, southwestern Nigeria , 2005 .

[8]  Deep Narayan Pandey,et al.  Rainwater harvesting as an adaptation to climate change , 2003 .

[9]  C. Liaw,et al.  Dimensionless Analysis for Designing Domestic Rainwater Harvesting Systems at the Regional Level in Northern Taiwan , 2014 .

[10]  Yan Zhang,et al.  Potential for rainwater use in high-rise buildings in Australian cities. , 2009, Journal of environmental management.

[11]  William F. Hunt,et al.  Rainwater Harvesting Experiences in the Humid Southeast USA , 2009 .

[12]  L. Lizárraga-Mendiola,et al.  Estimating the rainwater potential per household in an urban area: Case study in Central Mexico , 2015 .

[13]  Ajaykumar Kadam,et al.  Identifying Potential Rainwater Harvesting Sites of a Semi-arid, Basaltic Region of Western India, Using SCS-CN Method , 2012, Water Resources Management.

[14]  Matthew W McBroom,et al.  Roofing as a source of nonpoint water pollution. , 2004, Journal of environmental management.

[15]  Niranjali Jayasuriya,et al.  Investment Evaluation of Rainwater Tanks , 2011 .

[16]  Valeria Puleo,et al.  Evaluation of the Water Scarcity Energy Cost for Users , 2013 .

[17]  John Chilton,et al.  Case study of a rainwater recovery system in a commercial building with a large roof , 2000 .

[18]  Niranjali Jayasuriya,et al.  Optimal sizing of rain water tanks for domestic water conservation , 2010 .

[19]  Donald M. Vietor,et al.  Effect of Irrigation Frequency on Turf Quality, Shoot Density, and Root Length Density of Five Bentgrass Cultivars , 2003 .

[20]  Chao-Hsien Liaw,et al.  OPTIMUM STORAGE VOLUME OF ROOFTOP RAIN WATER HARVESTING SYSTEMS FOR DOMESTIC USE 1 , 2004 .

[21]  L. S. Pereira,et al.  Crop evapotranspiration : guidelines for computing crop water requirements , 1998 .

[22]  B. C. Mal,et al.  Rainwater conservation and recycling by optimal size on-farm reservoir , 2007 .

[23]  C. W. Thornthwaite.  An approach toward a rational classification of climate. , 1948 .

[24]  Peter H. Dernoeden,et al.  Creeping Bentgrass Putting Green Turf Responses to Two Irrigation Practices: Quality, Chlorophyll, Canopy Temperature, and Thatch-Mat , 2009 .

[25]  Ataur Rahman,et al.  Reliability and cost analysis of a rainwater harvesting system in peri-urban regions of Greater Sydney, Australia , 2014 .

[26]  Alan Fewkes,et al.  Simulating the performance of rainwater collection and reuse systems using behavioural models , 2000 .

[27]  Alberto Campisano,et al.  Optimal sizing of storage tanks for domestic rainwater harvesting in Sicily , 2012 .

[28]  Enedir Ghisi,et al.  Investment Feasibility Analysis of Rainwater Use in Residences , 2013, Water Resources Management.

[29]  Yan Zhang,et al.  Alternative Water Resources for Rural Residential Development in Western Australia , 2009 .

[30]  Enedir Ghisi,et al.  Rainwater tank capacity and potential for potable water savings by using rainwater in the residential sector of southeastern Brazil , 2007 .

[31]  J. M. Kahinda,et al.  Domestic rainwater harvesting to improve water supply in rural South Africa , 2007 .

[32]  V. Tsihrintzis,et al.  Characterization of Rain and Roof Drainage Water Quality in Xanthi, Greece , 2007, Environmental monitoring and assessment.

[33]  Nasiman Sapari,et al.  Variations in rainwater quality from roof catchments , 1989 .

[34]  F A Memon,et al.  Rainwater harvesting: model-based design evaluation. , 2010, Water science and technology : a journal of the International Association on Water Pollution Research.

[35]  C. M. Fontanazza,et al.  A model of the filling process of an intermittent distribution network , 2010 .

[36]  Joan Rieradevall,et al.  Financial and environmental modelling of water hardness--implications for utilising harvested rainwater in washing machines. , 2014, The Science of the total environment.

[37]  Jürgen Förster,et al.  Variability of roof runoff quality , 1999 .

[38]  W. G. Coldewey,et al.  Storm water runoff concentration matrix for urban areas. , 2007, Journal of contaminant hydrology.

[39]  A. Gerlak.  Water , 2013, Ecological Restoration.

[40]  Brian W. Baetz,et al.  Sizing of Rainwater Storage Units for Green Building Applications , 2007 .

[41]  Andrew M. Dixon,et al.  Analysis of a rainwater collection system for domestic water supply in Ringdansen, Norrköping, Sweden , 2005 .

[42]  R. A. AbdelKhaleq,et al.  Rainwater harvesting in ancient civilizations in Jordan , 2007 .

[43]  G. La Loggia,et al.  Analysis of the impact of intermittent distribution by modelling the network-filling process , 2011 .

[44]  John Gould,et al.  Rainwater Catchment Systems for Domestic Supply: Design, Construction and Implementation , 1999 .

[45]  William F. Hunt,et al.  Performance of rainwater harvesting systems in the southeastern United States , 2010 .

[46]  R. Vogel,et al.  Generalized Storage-Reliability-Yield Equations for Rainwater Harvesting Systems , 2009 .

[47]  Monzur Alam Imteaz,et al.  Economic Analysis of a Rainwater Harvesting System in a Commercial Building , 2015, Water Resources Management.

[48]  Nicos X. Tsiourtis.  Desalination and the environment , 2001 .