Water
Designing homes to use water efficiently, reduce costs and cope with more frequent droughts or storms.
Rainwater Systems: Design
Rainwater systems intended to supply water for human consumption must:
- meet the standard set for drinking water
- be designed to minimise the risk of contamination to the mains water supply.
The Drinking-water Standards for New Zealand 2005 (Revised 2008), issued by the Ministry of Health, sets the standard for potable water.
The Ministry of Health recommends that:
- where mains water supply is available, it is used for drinking and food preparation
- where no mains supply is available, a water filtration system and/or treatment for drinking water should be specified.
If a mains supply is connected to the rainwater collection system, the system must be designed to avoid backflow and contamination of the potable water supply by including an air gap or a backflow prevention device.
More information
Further advice on providing safe household drinking water, water-borne diseases, water treatment in emergency situations, and other drinking-water related issues can be obtained from: