Water Capture
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Reservoir Community and Learning Centre Rainwater Tank

Reservoir Community and Learning Centre, 23 Edwardes St Reservoir.

The Reservoir Community and Learning Centre (RCLC) rainwater tank reduces the amount of potable (drinking) water used within the centre and helps to keep our waterways clean.

The rainwater tank at the Reservoir Community and Learning Centre is ‘subterranean’, meaning the tank itself is underground!

This 70,000 litre rainwater tank was first installed as part of a water saving initiative of the Reservoir Civic Centre. Although the original Civic Centre has been redeveloped into the Reservoir Community and Learning Centre, the underground rainwater tank has remained and is an important water asset for Darebin City Council.

The rainwater tank is designed to store rainwater runoff that is harvested from the building’s rooftop and other impervious (hard) surfaces at the centre.

This water is used to irrigate the garden beds found outside the centre and is also used for toilet flushing. By using stormwater for these purposes, less potable water is used at the centre helping to save water and reduce costs.

Rainwater tanks can be used for a variety of purposes and have many community and environmental benefits. They are designed to collect rainwater run-off via gravity through a series of drainage pipes, which diverts the water from entering the stormwater system. An added benefit of the stormwater harvesting system is that by storing stormwater in tanks, any particles of soil, litter or other contaminants that might have been floating in the water are given time to settle to the bottom of the tank, leaving the water cleaner. This means any irrigation water running off the Reservoir Community and Learning Centre is cleaner than it would be if it had drained straight into the stormwater drains.

Outcomes

Reduces the amount of potable water used to flush toilets and irrigate garden beds at the centre.
Helps to keep the gardens and plants at the centre green year round.
Less stormwater flowing into our waterways.
Cleaner stormwater flowing into our waterways.
Slowed flow of stormwater entering our waterways, reducing the risk of erosion (wearing away of soil from creek banks).

Project Description:
Stormwater harvesting of rainwater in Reservoir.

Purpose:
Reduces usage of potable water for toilet flushing and irrigation of plants and improves the quality of water entering our waterways.

Completion Date:
2003

Downloads:

Melbourne Water – Rainwater Tanks Factsheet (168KB)

Watershed: Towards a Water Sensitive Darebin (3MB)

Project details

How the System Works

Rainwater is harvested from the rooftop and hard surfaces around the Reservoir Community and Learning Centre.

This water is directed through a series of drainage pipes via gravity, the water flows into the 70,000 litre rainwater tank located underground. The water tank can’t be seen, but is located in part of the rear car park of the centre.

The stored water is then pumped through the centre’s plumbing system and used when a toilet is flushed. The system also pumps water through an irrigation network found under the garden beds, allowing water to seep into soil for the plants to take up.

(Picture description: Photo is of a large tank being lowered into a pit in a construction site. The tank is red and roughly cylindrical.)

Fast Fact

Did you know the average water consumption of a toilet is 5.5 litres per flush?

System Components

Gravity System
This system utilises gravity to ensure all water directed into the drainage pipes are directed into the tank without the need for pumps or electricity. An important feature of this system is placing the rainwater tank at the right height to harvest water from all nearby impermeable (hard) surfaces.

Rainwater Tank
The polyethylene 70,000 litre rainwater tank is located underground beneath the Reservoir Community and Learning Centre.

Plumbing
Harvesting rainwater all year round means that the rainwater tank needs to be constantly used to avoid reaching full capacity. A pump connected from the tank to the toilets and irrigation system means that the water is used year-round for different purposes. In times of drought, toilet flushing is reverted to the main water system, while irrigation is stopped completely to save water.

Project Timeline

2003
Redeveloped Reservoir Civic Centre opened and underground rainwater tank installed.

2015
Redeveloped Reservoir Community and Learning Centre opened maintaining use of the previously installed rainwater tank.

Maintenance and Monitoring

Once installed, rainwater tanks require maintenance to ensure the pump and drainage pipes are in clean and working condition.

Maintenance has been carried out on the tank to ensure clear water is used for flushing toilets and for irrigation.

PROJECT BENEFITS

Benefits to Community

Using a rainwater tank for irrigation and toilet flushing at the Centre is helping to save the communities drinking water supply. Using a local water supply also reducing the energy needed to transport and treat potable water used at the centre. This helps to save Council and rate-payers money.

Understanding where the water we use comes from is an important educational tool that provides a link between the community and the environment.

Environmental Benefits

Harvesting rainwater from the building’s roofs and storing it in tanks allows most of the sediment (small particles of soil, litter and other contaminants) to sink to the bottom, making the water cleaner. This means any overflow from irrigation goes into our waterways much cleaner than it would have been coming directly from the roofs.

This is important as our waterways are home to an abundance of aquatic wildlife (such as fish, frogs and birds) that rely on relatively un-polluted water for survival. Any water that enters the waterways in Darebin flows into the Yarra River and eventually into Port Phillip Bay. Cleaner water entering the waterways upstream creates a cleaner marine environment too.

The harvesting of rainwater also reduces the usage of potable water. Potable water is water that is suitable to drink, cook or clean with.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Acknowledgements

Darebin City Council acknowledges the Wurundjeri people as the traditional owners and custodians of this land and pays respect to their Elders past and present.