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The Value of Rain: Benefit-Cost Analysis of Rainwater Harvesting Systems

Author

Listed:
  • Suzanne Dallman

    (California State University Long Beach)

  • Anita M. Chaudhry

    (California State University, Chico)

  • Misgana K. Muleta

    (California Polytechnic State University)

  • Juneseok Lee

    (San José State University)

Abstract

Rainwater harvesting is increasingly viewed as a practical means of reducing stormwater runoff and supplementing water supply in water-scarce regions, although its widespread adoption has been limited in urban areas. While a number of studies have examined the potential of rainwater harvesting to reduce potable water use, stormwater runoff, energy associated with delivering potable water supplies, or the associated costs, none have assessed these costs and benefits collectively. Using a densely urbanized watershed in southern California as a test case, this study quantifies the economic benefits and costs of rainwater harvesting to investigate whether capturing and using rainwater can be an efficient regional policy. Given the watershed’s land use, topography, and rainfall variability, a range of cistern sizes is evaluated to estimate the magnitude of water, energy and carbon savings for two rainwater use scenarios: outdoor use only and outdoor plus non-potable indoor use. With water prices held constant, only the smallest cistern (208 l) used for outdoor irrigation is efficient from an economic standpoint. In contrast, with a modest annual increase in water rates over the life of the project, the study shows that rainwater capture for outdoor use is an efficient policy for any cistern size. Finally, due to the higher installation and maintenance costs required to pipe the water indoors, outdoor/indoor uses show only modest economic benefits. The potential volume of water captured annually is significant, depending on the cistern size, equivalent to the total water needs of 13,345 to 31,138 single-family residences.

Suggested Citation

  • Suzanne Dallman & Anita M. Chaudhry & Misgana K. Muleta & Juneseok Lee, 2016. "The Value of Rain: Benefit-Cost Analysis of Rainwater Harvesting Systems," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 30(12), pages 4415-4428, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:waterr:v:30:y:2016:i:12:d:10.1007_s11269-016-1429-0
    DOI: 10.1007/s11269-016-1429-0
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    2. Kazemi, Fatemeh & Hossein pour, Nazanin & Mahdizadeh, Hassan, 2022. "Sustainable low-input urban park design based on some decision-making methods," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 117(C).
    3. Lucia Bednárová & Henrieta Pavolová & Zuzana Šimková & Tomáš Bakalár, 2023. "Economic Efficiency of Solar and Rainwater Systems—A Case Study," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(1), pages 1-11, January.
    4. Zihan Guo & Ni Wang & Xiaolian Mao & Xinyue Ke & Shaojiang Luo & Long Yu, 2022. "Benefit Analysis of Economic and Social Water Supply in Xi’an Based on the Emergy Method," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-20, April.
    5. Tamim Younos & Juneseok Lee & Tammy Parece, 2019. "Twenty-first century urban water management: the imperative for holistic and cross-disciplinary approach," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 9(1), pages 90-95, March.
    6. Jing, Xueer & Zhang, Shouhong & Zhang, Jianjun & Wang, Yujie & Wang, Yunqi, 2017. "Assessing efficiency and economic viability of rainwater harvesting systems for meeting non-potable water demands in four climatic zones of China," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 126(C), pages 74-85.

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