A properly maintained rainwater tank can provide good quality drinking water. Occasionally there are cases of contaminated rainwater sickness. In urban areas, public water supply remains the most reliable source of drinking water for the community. Water is a valuable resource and rainwater stored in a tank is safe to drink as long as appropriate measures are taken.
You just need to make sure that the parts of your rainwater collection system are made of food-safe materials and that they are properly maintained. The answer is yes and no. In its purest form, rainwater is certainly cleaner than treated water, as it is free of chemicals that can be added as part of your state's water treatment program. But that doesn't necessarily make it safe to drink it, especially from your rainwater tank.
Many experts say that untreated rainwater may not be safe for human consumption, even though national guidelines suggest that the risk of getting sick from drinking rainwater is low. The research of Dr. Ross has examined the levels of zinc, lead, chromium, copper and cadmium in water tanks in South Australia. Flinders University environmental health researcher Kirstin Ross, who recently conducted a review of water from tanks around Adelaide, said that while there was no evidence of an increase in gastrointestinal diseases as a result of using rainwater tanks for drinking water, microbes are present in water.
Before investing in stormwater filtration equipment, it is important to first make sure that you have installed physical barriers such as gutter screens, rain heads, discharge diverters to prevent leaves, debris, and other contaminants from entering the rainwater tank. Filtering can also remove some, but not all, of the hazardous metals that have been found in many Australian water tanks. While you can turn on the faucet for about a minute to avoid copper particles, and rainwater from a properly maintained tank is generally safe to drink, installing good filtration in the faucets where the water will be consumed seems like a smart safety measure to me. As such, rainwater safely collected in a properly maintained rainwater tank provides a source of good quality drinking water.
You can maintain high water quality by checking your gutter and using water tank accessories, such as leaf eaters, water filters, rainwater diverters, and even tank self-cleaning systems. Showering, flushing toilets, and watering gardens with rainwater help conserve the city's water supply. As an additional precautionary measure against water contamination, it is recommended that appropriate chlorination and filtration be installed on faucets where water will be used for drinking or cooking. While sludge is usually not harmful, it can cause problems if it enters the water column of your tank, where it can be pumped from the tank.
And check that your mesh is in good condition every three months; a recent CSIRO study found that more than 10 percent of the water tanks inspected had mesh that was in poor repair condition enough to allow pests and vermin to enter the tank. I have seen several sites that claim that a home filled with lime pebbles will correct the acidity of rainwater, a low-cost solution. Tank Shop is an Australian family business dedicated to selling high quality water tanks, pumps and rain collection products from trusted brands and suppliers committed to excellence. But since many Australians don't have access to city water and rely on rainwater, what precautions should we take to ensure that the water in our tank is safe to drink? While rainwater can pass through a water diverter and filters, bits of leaves and other organic matter will find their way into your tank.
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