Industries tap rainwater resources of buildings

Davey Water Products has completed the installation of a rainwater capture system using its own Scoresby, Victoria headquarters roof, which has an area of about 2500 m2.

The rainwater collected and stored in three 45,000 L capacity tanks is being used as an alternative to mains water for the Scoresby plant's metal coating pre-treatment line.

After simple filtration, the rainwater is also used in the factory and adjoining office toilets and washrooms for non-mains water needs like toilet flushing.

Davey received a federal government Community Water Grant to install the rainwater harvesting system as a demonstration system, collecting rainwater as a replacement for mains water applications that could be duplicated by other industrial water users.

According to Davey design engineer, Clint Steele, the rainwater harvesting system will save an estimated three million litres of mains water for the process applications and demonstrates a number of innovative Davey products in an industrial environment.

The water run-off is collected by a syphonic drainage system and stored in three above-ground polyethylene tanks and delivered to the paint line using a Davey HM series multi-stage electric pumpset.

The RainBank automatic controllers at each use point will automatically switch the supply back to mains water should there be insufficient rainwater in storage.

The system is expected to achieve close to a 100% saving of mains water in the largest factory water consumption process.