OVERVIEW
Integrated Water Management – solutions for water stressed cities
Non-potable integrated water management through rainwater harvesting and greywater recycling, which is sometimes referred to as non-wholesome water, is the supply of water that is not of drinking quality, but which may still be used for many other purposes, depending on its quality e.g. toilet flushing, laundry, irrigation etc.
The primary aim is to reduce the demand for costly potable water (drinking water), by using non-potable water for applications where this standard is not required. This reduces demand for drinking water and the costs associated with treating it.
To determine the commercial viability of non-potable water supply we firstly need to establish the potential supply options and establish the demand (non-potable water balance). The supply of non-potable water in commercial buildings tends to derive primarily from rainwater (rainwater harvesting) which comes from roofs and /or hard standings, greywater (greywater recycling) from sinks and showers, condensates, and bleed off from cooling towers. The less treatment required per building occupant the more commercially viable and the more sustainable the system becomes. As such the non-potable water should only be treated to the level that is required to meet the building applications requirements. To establish the non-potable demand an analysis of the uses and number of occupants needs to be undertaken.
Non-potable water management should be considered as part of a holistic integrated water management approach as early in the building design process as possible and should include surface water management other potential uses such as fire sprinklers, cooling etc.
PHILOSOPHY
Aquality’s philosophy is to deliver commercially sustainable integrated water management solutions that take account of regulation. However, this starts with the premise that we should first look to reuse water through rainwater harvesting & greywater recycling before discharging it into sewers and water courses, therefore reducing the potential for flooding
As market leaders in SuDS and reuse of water for non-potable applications, we can offer a range of bespoke solutions that allow clients to maximise water efficiency and minimise or eliminate the potential for downstream flooding.
