(cest2017_00918) Rainwater harvesting tanks' efficiency in Thera Island

摘要

The gradual degradation of fresh water reserves,coupled with its essential role in supporting life, isprompting the research for alternative and sustainablemethods of supplying water for domestic, irrigation andindustrial use worldwide. The harvesting, storage and useof rainwater have been traditionally employed as a watermanagement practice that yields both financial andenvironmental benefits. In this work, a model of dailywater balance has been applied to investigate the efficiencyof rainwater harvesting tanks (cisterns) for domestic use onthe island of Thera. The amount of rainwater that can becollected from different collection surfaces has beenanalyzed, in relation with water demand. In addition, thebasic parts making up a system for collecting and storingrainwater are considered. These data have been used forthe design, costing and optimization of the relevantmagnitudes affecting rainwater harvesting systems.