Pressure on the fresh water system and our water environment has been increasing due to a changing climate and growth. Defra Group has been considering multiple ways to ease this pressure and increase river body quality status, for example by reducing abstraction licenses, not issuing further licences without restrictions, and working with the water industry to reduce demand and consider new sources of supply. Rainwater harvesting is one such method of reducing the demand on the water supply system. Most work on this subject so far has focused on domestic/household water use e.g. through retrofitting garden water butts. Building on Defra led engagement with stakeholders across the water industry this project has shifted the focus to non-domestic settings and looked to consider the benefits that could be achieve through widespread adoption of rainwater harvesting. Non-domestic properties lend themselves to this due to availability of larger roof areas, the space available for large storage tanks, and the greater demand for non-potable (non-drinking) water.
