Obstacles Preventing People from Using Rainwater Management Systems

Introduction

Excess water will sit on the ground and infrastructure until it evaporates due to impermeable surfaces.
There are an increasing amount of impermeable surfaces in buildings and it causes an elevated risk of water-logging and floods (Musz-Pomorska et al., 2024).
- Roofs account for 40-50% off all impermeable surfaces (Musz-Pomorska et al., 2024)
The rainwater harvesting (RWH) design can be traced back to the neolithic era.
- However, modern versions have technologies included some of which are: gutter screen, tank screen, insect proof flap valve, and pump system (Raimondi et al., 2023).
By combining rainwater harvesting systems with other low-impact development technologies (LIDs) they can have an even greater impact.

Research Question

What obstacles prevent community members from using rainwater management systems in the Lansing area?

What is it?

Rainwater harvesting systems allow excess rainwater to be used in buildings and homes.
This mechanism collects the storm runoff from buildings and homes, turning it into usable water for these establishments.
- The rainwater is mainly collected from the roof of the building
Green roofs, green walls, and rainwater harvesting systems are all technologies that use rainwater for human necessities (Gembarski et al., 2023)
- Combining them together can create a way to improve sustainability (Pimentel-Rodrigues & Silva-Afonso, 2023)
The rainwater harvesting system can be modified for the type of building it is designed for (Lúcio et al., 2020).

Example of how a RWH system would work

Literature review

Willingness to Pay

Willingness to Pay (WTP): “is an economic technique used to quantify individuals' perceived value on specific goods or services” (Mukarram et al., 2023).
Includes installation, maintenance, operation, and energy consumption (Raimondi et al., 2023; Mukarram et al., 2023).
Market price of a rainwater tank with a volume of 150 L ranges from US$190 to US$570, depending on the make (Tsai & Onishi, 2022).
The market price of (rainwater infiltration inlet) RII ranges from$382/unit to $478/unit (Tsai & Onishi, 2022).
WTP was $265 and $274 per unit for RII and a rainwater tank (Tsai & Onishi, 2022).

Rainwater Use in Homes

Water is collected from the roof and stored in an opaque tank (Gembarski et al., 2023; Raimondi et al., 2023).
Indoor use:
- Flushing the toilet
- Washing the laundry (Steffen et al., 2013).
Outdoor use:
- Watering plants and trees
- Non-edibles - toxic plants
- "Compost tea" - liquid fertilizer (Talerico, 2019)

Implementation of RWH throughout the world

Shortages of potable water have become a primary issue in developing countries (Zhou et al., 2023).
Some countries allow harvested rainwater to be used as drinking water.
- Others require separate systems for potable (treated) and harvested water (Raimondi et al., 2023).
RWH systems are not as common in developed countries as they are in developing countries (Raimondi et al., 2023).
It is important that leagal regulations are implemented at state levels, to create an increase in this type of development at a larger scale (Musz-Pomorska et al., 2024).
Recently more countries are making RWHs and LIDs madatory in cities (Pimentel-Rodrigues & Silva-Afonso, 2023).

"This rainwater harvesting system uses a corrugated roof, angled to catch rainwater and drain it into a collection tank so that water can be used throughout the dry season. ©SUCO"

Benefits

A 50-gallon rain barrel can have a 50% water saving efficiency for untreated water (Steffen et al., 2013).
The average tap and wastewater prices have increased by around 27% (Musz-Pomorska et al., 2024).
- RWH can have up to a 50% water efficiency saving for non-potable water (Steffen et al., 2013)
Maintenance on public water systems is estimated cost more than $334 billion between 2007 and 2027 (Steffen et al., 2013).
Reduces water pollution
- Reduces sewer overflows (Raimondi et al., 2023).
RWHs can also improve the water balance in urban catchments (Musz-Pomorska et al., 2024).
It also promotes additional water storage in buildings and homes (Pimentel-Rodrigues & Silva-Afonso, 2023).
Most rainwater harvesting systems have a life span of 50 years (Pimentel-Rodrigues & Silva-Afonso, 2023).

Challenges

Rainwater harvesting is very location specific and heavily relies on the amount of rainfall an area amasses (Pimentel-Rodrigues & Silva-Afonso, 2023; Raimondi et al., 2023).
Costs
Mukarram et al., (2023) also includes the following as potential challenges to implementation:
- Natural Disasters
- Lack of technical expertise if an RWH needs maintenance or set up

"Cement rings retain earth of the pit around the repurposed bore wells, when rainwater gets collected in the pit. Photo: Aadhavan/Village Square"

Methods

This study will be conducted through a survey
15 questions in 3 sections
- Background information on rainwater harvesting
  - To give people an idea of what they will be giving their opinion about.
- Demographic information on the participant
  - Helps distinguish if there are different opinions between genders, ages, races, and cities
- Opinions of rainwater harvesting
Surveys can help to collect information from a large population without having to speak to them directly.
Participants will be recruited through Facebook and emails.
- Circulating the survey through different Lansing area towns Facebook groups can help reach people all around the area,
- Email will be used to reach others who may not have Facebook.
Participants will be kept anonymous.

Justification

By asking people in the Lansing area their opinions on rainwater harvesting systems, we can better understand why these technologies are not common in the area.
We can also get a ride variety of people responding to the survey by sending it to towns in the greater Lansing area.
It wold be preferred that around 20 people respond to the survey from each town the survey is sent to.
Many of the towns surrounding Lansing are diverse and have people from suburban and rural areas
- As well as many different ethnicities and ages based upon the location.
The greater Lansing area was chosen because that is where I am from and I can better understand what the data collected would mean.

References

Gembarski, P. C., Melching, J., & Plappert, S. (2023). A Knowledge-Based Engineering System for the Planning of Networked Rainwater Harvesting and Distribution Systems. Sustainability, 15(11), Article 11. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15118636

Musz-Pomorska, A., Widomski, M. K., & Gołębiowska, J. (2024). Financial Aspects of Sustainable Rainwater Management in Small-Scale Urban Housing Communities. Sustainability, 16(2), Article 2. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16020780

Pimentel-Rodrigues, C., & Silva-Afonso, A. (2023). The Feasibility of Rainwater Harvesting Systems in Buildings with Green Roofs: A Case Study Based on the Köppen Climate Classification. Sustainability, 15(24), Article 24. https://doi.org/10.3390/su152416859

Raimondi, A., Quinn, R., Abhijith, G. R., Becciu, G., & Ostfeld, A. (2023). Rainwater Harvesting and Treatment: State of the Art and Perspectives. Water, 15(8), Article 8. https://doi.org/10.3390/w15081518

Steffen, J., Jensen, M., Pomeroy, C. A., & Burian, S. J. (2013). Water Supply and Stormwater Management Benefits of Residential Rainwater Harvesting in U.S. Cities. JAWRA Journal of the American Water Resources Association, 49(4), 810–824. https://doi.org/10.1111/jawr.12038

Talerico, D. (2019, December 6). Rainwater Collection Systems 101 & FAQs. Homestead and Chill; Homestead and Chill. https://homesteadandchill.com/rainwater-collection-systems-101/

Tsai, P., & Onishi, A. (2022). Urban households’ willingness to pay for improvements in rainwater harvesting and rainwater infiltration system: Case study in Japan. Water and Environment Journal, 36(3), 494–503. https://doi.org/10.1111/wej.1278

Zhou, W., Matsumoto, K., & Sawaki, M. (2023). Traditional domestic rainwater harvesting systems: Classification, sustainability challenges, and future perspectives. Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering, 22(2), 576–588. https://doi.org/10.1080/13467581.2022.2047979