Using rainwater efficiently

Did you know that rain or hail are two to five times more likely to fall in a short period of time than in the last century? Changing regulations and the fact that our sewer system is not built to handle peak rainfall makes proper water storage enormously important. At the same time, the need to reuse rainwater is increasing. Fortunately, increasingly efficient solutions are being developed for both problems.

"In an ideal situation, the water is collected during wet periods to be disposed of in stages or used during dry periods," says Sander Schonewille, product specialist at Wildkamp. "The water can be reused for a sprinkler system, infiltration on the plot or for flushing the toilet." 

Efficient stormwater drainage begins with roof or mast gutters. Via downspouts, these are connected to the sewer or to the system for infiltration and/or reuse. Schonewille: "We supply gutters and downspouts in various diameters, colors, designs and types of materials. Think PVC, zinc, red copper and galvanized steel." 

Water drainage is also an important issue. Since bricks are not permeable to water, the water must be channelled and collected somewhere: "The use of drains or a street gully can be a solution. Of course, the pavement must then drain in the right direction. Preferably toward the grass or border, and especially not toward the facade," advises Schonewille.

It is increasingly becoming the norm that we no longer dispose of rainwater via the sewer system, but retain it for our own garden, business premises or municipal land. In fact, in many municipalities, citizens are already required to discharge rainwater on their own property.

"During extreme showers, an infiltration system can collect rainwater, buffer it and release it back to the soil. At Wildkamp, we can calculate the capacity of the infiltration crates based on the surface area and the amount of precipitation. This keeps the groundwater level up," says Schonewille.

In a world where water is scarce, it is contradictory that we flush our toilets with precious tap water. In the Netherlands, we use more than 100 liters of drinking water per person per day. Schonewille: "We flush more than half of this down the toilet and use it for the washing machine or the garden. Applications that do not actually require high drinking water quality at all! By using filtered rainwater for these applications, we can save on expensive drinking water. At Wildkamp we supply various reuse systems for rainwater which realize this in a reliable and safe way. The rainwater is collected by the rainwater system, filtered and then pumped back to the consumption points within the plot. Rainwater also has the additional advantage of not containing lime. As a result, it is even better for the garden and laundry than drinking water."

By implementing intelligent control systems, combined with rainwater tanks and sumps, rainwater can be used much more efficiently within an irrigation system. "With such an advanced system, data is used to determine when and what the collected rainwater will be used for. This data is obtained from both internal sensors within the system itself and external sources, such as weather stations and weather forecasts. Using these data sources, an intelligent irrigation system makes smart decisions. For example, if the weather forecast indicates that a period of drought is expected, the system will prioritize the use of rainwater for watering plants. In this way, the consumption of precious drinking water is minimized. Schonewille concludes, "For questions about water management or intelligent irrigation, please visit any of our 45 branches. One can also find a lot of information on this subject in the knowledge center on our website.