Healthy rainwater tanks

Toowoomba Regional Council supports rainwater harvesting. However, Council does not suggest that tank water replace an available town water supply for drinking purposes because there is no guarantee that every resident installs, cleans and maintains rainwater tanks correctly to ensure safe drinking water.

Householder Maintenance of Rainwater tanks

High quality tank water is dependant on the owner’s maintenance of a healthy tank.  Proper maintenance involves the cleaning of gutters and downpipes and checking for mosquito and vermin control. Tank installation could include a “first flush” system to divert the initial scour of dirty rainwater.

If water is only to be used for non-potable (non-drinking) uses, such as in the washing machine or toilet, then it is unlikely that any treatment will be required, although filtering does limit some contamination.

However, if water is to be provided for other household uses that involve contact with humans, such as drinking, showering or cooking, additional treatment should be considered; potentially ultra-violet disinfection.

Maintenance Checklist

Regular inspection of your tank is recommended. A thorough maintenance schedule is provided in the Toowoomba Regional Council’s brochure – Rainwater Tanks  and a simple checklist can be downloaded from Related Documents below.

Public Health Issues

Approximately 3 million Australians currently use rainwater for drinking with very few reported incidences of ill health. This is in spite of a number of reports that have shown that tank water often fails to meet microbiological guidelines for drinking water quality because of contamination by animal faeces, vegetation and air-borne pollution.

The current view of many health authorities is that while rainwater from a well-maintained system is a useful source of water, additional treatment may be desirable, particularly in urban areas. If plumbed in to the potable (town drinking water) system, back-flow prevention is an essential barrier to protect the potable system from possible contamination. Tanks must be installed in accordance with plumbing standards.