Shortly after news that Australia experienced its hottest year on record in 2013, Sydney has now endured its driest summer in 72 years, with much of New South Wales parched by three heatwaves in January. Nationally, January’s mean temperature was about 0.9 degrees above the long-term average, placing it 12 warmest on record.
In one of its hottest weeks on record in January, Melbourne households used a record amount of water, when daily average consumption reached 255 litres a person – the highest since Melbourne Water began reporting daily per head use in 2009. At the same time, daily average water usage in Melbourne so far this year has been well above the previous daily usage target of 155 litres a day.
Unsurprisingly, on a hot and dry continent such as Australia where water is a scarce resource, recent developments have prompted governments and local councils around the country to promote the reduction of water usage, with some towns even experiencing water restrictions.
As most water restrictions are only applicable to those using mains water supplies, installing a rainwater tank in your home could be the solution and serve as supplementary or alternatives sources of water when dam levels are low, and when water restrictions are in place. This means you can freely water your gardens, wash cars and even fill swimming pools without fear of government restrictions or regulations regarding water use.
SUPATANK rainwater tanks collect and store rain water from your roof, helping you conserve this precious resource that might otherwise have been washed into stormwater drains. All SUPATANK rainwater tanks come with a filter to filter out leaf matter and the harvested rain water can be pumped and directed to various outlets: garden taps, toilet cisterns and washing machine connections.
At the same time, installing a rainwater tank in your home allows you to contribute to saving the environment. Studies have shown that a reduction in water usage by 30-50% in cities across the world will significantly reduce the possibility of water shortages in the future.
Environmentally, rainwater tanks reduce contaminants in waterways because rain water is captured as soon as it comes off the roof and is prevented from entering streets where it would collect pollutants. Rainwater tanks also reduce the impact of stormwater on drainage infrastructure, roads, urban streams and beaches, and have the potential of reducing the peaks of flood events. The amount of sewage discharged to the ocean or rivers will also reduce thanks to rainwater tanks.
So in the fight to save the environment we live in, we can certainly help by reducing the possibility of water shortages and contamination by installing rainwater tanks in our homes.
