Characterization of Rain and Roof Drainage Water Quality in Xanthi, Greece

Abstract

Thirteen field campaigns were undertaken in the period from December 2,2002 until September 1,2004 to collect water samples in order to characterize the quality of rainfall and roof drainage in the city of Xanthi, a typical provincial city in Greece. In each campaign, water samples were collected from 10 representative sites in the city (in total 130 samples), representing areas of distinct land use and human activities (i.e., traffic volume, residence density and industrial activity). The water samples were analyzed according to drinking water criteria for total coliform (not detected), temperature (range: 0.9-20 degrees C), pH (range: 3.6-11.4), alkalinity (range: 0-21.5 mg CaCO(3)/L), nitrate (range: 0-2456 microg/L), ammonium (range: 0-2628 microg/L), sulfate (range: 0-0.5 mg/L), calcium (range: 259.1-3064 microeq/L), magnesium (range: 0.8-488.8 microeq/L), potassium (range: 0.0-110.6 microeq/L) and dissolved heavy metals (Fe, range: 0.01-0.18 mg/L; Mn, range: 0.01-0.09 mg/L; Zn, range: 0.01-0.54 mg/L; Cu, Cr and Ni, not detected). Pollutant concentrations were generally higher in roof drainage than in rainwater, but both were lower than drinking water standards. Dissolved heavy metal concentrations were generally higher in the areas of intensive human activities, such as roads with high traffic volume and densely populated residential areas. The satisfactory quality of rainwater, which results from this analysis, makes its use as grey water possible.

Determination of Drinking Water Quality: A Case Study on Saline Prone South-West Coastal Belt of Bangladesh

“…Generally, the pH of rainwater ranges from4.5 to 6.5 but increases slightly after falling on the roof and during storage in tanks (Gobel et al, 2007;Meera and Ahammed, 2006). However the average investigated value were 5.95 (±.87) ( Table 1) but one of our results indicates higher pH value, in the range of 6.54 and 8.25 those results were found in Greece (Melidis et al, 2007). The similar results also found in another coastal district Barguna, which was 6.23 (Saha et al, 2006).…”

A Reliability Analysis of a Rainfall Harvesting System in Southern Italy

“…Runoff from rooftops is often considered unpolluted [10] or at least is of relatively good quality compared with runoff from surface catchments [11]. However, there is still disagreement about the quality of rooftop runoff, ranging from good or acceptable [12,13] to contaminated [14,15], depending on the roofing material, environmental conditions and atmospheric pollution. Subject to basic treatments such as filtration and/or chlorination, as necessary, collected rainwater can be utilized for different non-potable uses, including toilet flushing, washing machine use and garden irrigation (or any other use that does not require high-quality water).…”

Recent Advances in Modelling and Implementation of Rainwater Harvesting Systems towards Sustainable Development

“…Rainwater harvested from the roof catchments may contain heavy metals and nutrients [21,22]. Use of adequately designed first flush devices and regular maintenance of the RWH system (such as washing of roof surfaces, gutters, tanks and first flush devices, inspecting for points of entry for mosquitoes and vermin and removing overhanging trees from the rooftop) can significantly improve the harvested water quality [23,24].…”