Comparative study of roof-harvested rainwater from concrete tiles and green roof for non-potable usage

Abstract The article presents a comparison of rainwater quality for rainwater collected from a sloped roof with concrete tiles (residence 1) and from a flat green roof (residence 2). The aims of this study were: (1) to analyze the quality of roof-harvested rainwater based on the guidelines of NBR 15527 (ABNT, 2007) and (2) to monitor the quality of stored rainwater in order to verify the efficiency and performance of both catchment systems. This study was conducted in the city of Curitiba, state of Paraná, Southern Brazil, where rainwater harvesting has been mandatory for new buildings since 2007. Rainwater collected from the roof with concrete tiles showed lower values for turbidity and chemical oxygen demand in most of the results (eight and seven samples, respectively). The green roof contributed to lowering the natural acidity of rainwater. The quality standards for coliforms established by NBR 15527 (ABNT, 2007) were not met in any of the samples collected. Despite the fact that not all parameters met the guidelines established by NBR 15527 (ABNT, 2007), the rainwater is being used for cleaning sidewalks, garden irrigation and toilet flushing, without complaints from its users.