Alternative Water Supply Systems

Owing to climate change related uncertainties and anticipated population growth, different parts of the developing and the developed world (particularly urban areas) are experiencing water shortages or flooding and security of fit-for-purpose supplies is becoming a major issue. The emphasis on decentralized alternative water supply systems has increased considerably. Most of the information on such systems is either scattered or focuses on large scale reuse with little consideration given to decentralized small to medium scale systems. Alternative Water Supply Systems brings together recent research into the available and innovative options and additionally shares experiences from a wide range of contexts from both developed and developing countries.

Alternative Water Supply Systems covers technical, social, financial and institutional aspects associated with decentralized alternative water supply systems. These include systems for greywater recycling, rainwater harvesting, recovery of water through condensation and sewer mining. A number of case studies from the UK, the USA, Australia and the developing world are presented to discuss associated environmental and health implications.

The book provides insights into a range of aspects associated with alternative water supply systems and an evidence base (through case studies) on potential water savings and trade-offs. The information organized in the book is aimed at facilitating wider uptake of context specific alternatives at a decentralized scale mainly in urban areas.

This book is a key reference for postgraduate level students and researchers interested in environmental engineering, water resources management, urban planning and resource efficiency, water demand management, building service engineering and sustainable architecture. It provides practical insights for water professionals such as systems designers, operators, and decision makers responsible for planning and delivering sustainable water management in urban areas through the implementation of decentralized water recycling.

The PDF version of this title has been made Open Access in partnership with Knowledge Unlatched (KU), a library crowd-funding initiative. Find out more here.

Performance and Economics of Internally Plumbed Rainwater Tanks: An Australian Perspective; Evaluating Rain Tank Pump Performance at a Micro-component Level; The verification of a behavioural model for simulating the hydraulic performance of rainwater harvesting systems; Rainwater harvesting for domestic water demand and stormwater management; Rainwater harvesting for toilet flushing in UK schools; opportunities for combining with water efficiency education; Community participation in decentralised rainwater systems: a Mexican case study; Assessing domestic rainwater harvesting storage cost and geographic availability in Ugandas Rakai district; Incentivising and Charging for Rain Water Harvesting Three International Perspectives; Air Conditioning Condensate Recovery and Reuse for Non-Potable Applications; Greywater reuse: risk identification, quantification and management; Greywater Recycling: Guidelines for safe adoption; Membrane processes for greywater recycling; Energy and carbon implications of water saving micro-components and greywater reuse systems; Introduction to Sewer Mining: Technology and Health Risks; The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Water Recycling System, London; Decentralised Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Plants: Understanding their Fugitive Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Environmental Footprint; Large scale water reuse systems and energy; Risk mitigation for wastewater irrigation systems in low-income countries: Opportunities and limitations of the WHO guidelines; Decision support systems for water reuse in smart building water cycle management; A Blueprint for Moving from Building-scale to District-scale San Franciscos Non-Potable Water Program; The socio-technology of alternative water systems.