Rainwater Harvesting for Irrigation of Tennis Courts: A Case Study

Abstract

It has become evident that, during this century, climate change will continue, affecting all regions of the planet. The expected impacts over the next few decades may differ from region to region, with some areas becoming humid and others drier. In regions such as the Mediterranean basin, the main expected impacts of climate change will be prolonged droughts and an increase in the intensity and frequency of heavy rains. Measures of mitigation and adaptation are particularly important in urban environments, where more than half of the population lives, and rainwater harvesting systems (RWHS) are considered to be a very suitable solution to these problems. However, the published studies have mainly focussed on buildings, with very limited references to the interest of its application in large urban infrastructure. Based on consumption and precipitation data, this article presents a study on the implementation of an RWHS in a large-scale sports infrastructure located in the city of Cascais (Portugal) intended for the practice of tennis, with 12 brick dust fields, some of them covered. The average annual consumption of potable water for watering the tennis courts is 5500 m3, and the results show that the RWHS can reduce this consumption by >50%, in addition to other expected benefits, such as the known effect of these systems in reducing flood peaks in the area.

The Feasibility of Rainwater Harvesting Systems in Buildings with Green Roofs: A Case Study Based on the Köppen Climate Classification

“…For the combination of these two constructive solutions, it is essential to determine the runoff coefficients of green roofs and to assess the volumes of rainwater that can be used in buildings, as well as its temporal distribution. Studies carried out in Oporto, in the north of Portugal, by ANQIP (National Association for the Quality of Building Installations) and by UCP (Portuguese Catholic University), on an extensive green roof, allowed the development of an expression to predict, with an acceptable approximation, the monthly runoff coefficients [48,49].…”

“…The pilot green roof adopted followed a typical extensive structure, with usual geotextile membranes, a layer of expanded clay to retain water, and a 10 cm substrate to support the cultivation of plant species, composed of a mixture of expanded clay and organic. This green roof was planted with three different species of native plants common in Portugal and other countries with a Mediterranean climate (Satureja montana, Thymus caespititius and Thymus pseudolanuginosus) [48,49].…”

Physical activity promotion and planetary health – a conceptual framework and suggested research priorities

“…For example, alpine skiing has been shown to cause high CO2 emissions due to the high levels of energy required to produce artificial snow and seriously affects vegetation on slopes [28,31,32]. The land-use of golf has been criticized as not being eco-friendly [33], and the annual consumption of drinking water for watering Tennis courts is more than 450,000 liters in some world regions [34]. For many other sports, transportation to and from sporting venues creates a high carbon footprint (even on a recreational level) [28].…”

A case study: A SWOT analysis of small-scale rainwater harvesting system in Batu Pahat

“…Even though, the ambitious plan of RWHS at national plan seems possible if done right, there is a little attention has been given on end user satisfaction, which is RWHS user. Previous study in Malaysia is more focused on RWHS at commercial building [3][4][5]. Besides, these studies addressed the issue of RWHS before the installation of the system.…”