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Rainwater tank maintenance – Water Tactics in Courier Mail
0 Comments | Posted by Water Tactics in Water Tactics news
On 20/3/11, the Sunday Mail ran a story on the state of rainwater tanks in SEQ, highlighting a number of problems and asked Water Tactics to provide input regarding rainwater tank maintenance issues. In the article, there was a particular emphasis on the risk of mosquito breeding in tanks and the pontial for spreading mosquito-borne disease such as dengue fever. See the full story
While there is a seasonal concern regarding the potential of mosquitoes to breed in ‘failed’ rainwater systems, as always, our stand is that properly maintained rainwater systems pose no greater threat of mosquito breeding than the myriad of other water pooling sources in the average back yard.
Some people still do not acknowledge that rainwater systems DO require maintenance. It is not extensive but like any other property asset, a rainwater tank and pump will require attention to avoid problems and to ensure the maximum advantage is made of the water conservation potential of a rainwater system. A major problem is that during the drought and rebate period, the public were actively encouraged to install rainwater tanks but in comparison, there has been scant regard paid to educating the new tank-owners to the necessity for rainwater tank maintenance.
Property developers must also take responsibility for ensuring that rainwater tanks are installed in new properties in such a way as to facilitate maintenance and cleaning in the future.
Most of the routine maintenance can be undertaken by the householder. See our basic maintenance guidlines. There are professional rainwater service providers – such as Water Tactics – to assist in cases where the householder is unable to undertake maintenance; in case of more complex issues and when the tank requires removal of accumulated sediment every few years.
The only reason governments will be justified in imposing compulsory inspection fees on tank owners is if there is negligence on a grand scale and a real public health risk. We shouldn’t need to get to that situation. Of course there are always some people who won’t do the right thing but the potential danger is possibly being overstated to drive home a point. Decommissioned tanks don’t have to become a mosquito breeding danger; they can be drained and downpipes re-diverted back to stormwater leaving only an eye-sore and wasted potential. That is the biggest shame!
Rainwater harvesting is a simple and effective means of water conservation. In one of the driest continents on earth, it makes too much sense to allow negligence and fear to turn the tide of public opinion away from it. Maintenance is the key to successful rainwater harvesting.
