TY - JOUR

T1 - Contribution of rooftop rainwater harvesting to climate adaptation in the city of Hannover: Water quality and health issues of rainwater storage in cisterns and ponds

AU - Carpio-Vallejo, Estefania

AU - Düker, Urda

AU - Waldowski, Jessica

AU - Nogueira, Regina

N1 - Funding Information: Overall, our study revealed negative correlations between dissolved oxygen and FIB across the sampled locations, which is consistent with the findings reported by Nnaji and Nnam (2019) suggesting that microbial activities contribute to a significant decrease in oxygen availability in water. Furthermore, we observed negative correlations between water temperature and oxygen levels, indicating that oxygen solubility decreases with an increase in temperature, as supported by previous studies (Bozorg-Haddad et al., 2021).This research was funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) within the RES:Z call: Resource-optimized city of the future; research project TransMiT—Resource-optimized transformation of combined and separate drainage systems in existing quarters with high population pressure, Subproject Effect of BGI on local climate/backyards, grant number 033W105A UP5. We are grateful to Ms. Claudia Helle for her assistance during lab work, Ms. Franziska Meyer and Ms. Zora Treiber for their contribution during sampling and field observations. Funding Information: This research was funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) within the RES:Z call: Resource-optimized city of the future; research project TransMiT—Resource-optimized transformation of combined and separate drainage systems in existing quarters with high population pressure, Subproject Effect of BGI on local climate/backyards, grant number 033W105A UP5 . We are grateful to Ms. Claudia Helle for her assistance during lab work, Ms. Franziska Meyer and Ms. Zora Treiber for their contribution during sampling and field observations.

PY - 2024/3

Y1 - 2024/3

N2 - Rooftop rainwater harvesting systems and blue-green infrastructure are becoming important resilience alternatives for urban climate adaptation. This study sheds light on the largely unreported physicochemical and microbiological quality of private roof-harvested rainwater (RHRW). We aimed to identify the physicochemical and microbiological characteristics of RHRW, explore potential correlations between them and assess probable health risks associated with recreational interactions of children with the water. RHRW was collected from cisterns and ponds located in an inner courtyard in Hanover, Germany. Physicochemical parameters were measured on site and samples were collected once a month in two campaigns in 2020 and 2021. Escherichia coli concentrations ranged from 1 × 10° to 24.1 × 102 MPN/100 mL, Enterococci from 1 × 10° to 19.7 × 102 MPN/100 mL, Salmonella from 1 × 102 to 39 × 103 CFU/100 mL and Pseudomonas aeruginosa from 1 × 10° to 3 × 103 MPN/100 mL. Correlation analysis indicated potential relationships between bacteria, oxygen, and water temperature. The results of the health risk assessment indicated a potential risk of gastrointestinal illnesses due to exposure to Enterococci and Salmonella spp. present in the cisterns and ponds, highlighting the need for appropriate regulations and guidelines for RHRW aimed for non-potable uses. Blue-green infrastructure, when effectively managed and maintained, can offer benefits both by enhancing urban climate resilience and promoting citizens well-being.

AB - Rooftop rainwater harvesting systems and blue-green infrastructure are becoming important resilience alternatives for urban climate adaptation. This study sheds light on the largely unreported physicochemical and microbiological quality of private roof-harvested rainwater (RHRW). We aimed to identify the physicochemical and microbiological characteristics of RHRW, explore potential correlations between them and assess probable health risks associated with recreational interactions of children with the water. RHRW was collected from cisterns and ponds located in an inner courtyard in Hanover, Germany. Physicochemical parameters were measured on site and samples were collected once a month in two campaigns in 2020 and 2021. Escherichia coli concentrations ranged from 1 × 10° to 24.1 × 102 MPN/100 mL, Enterococci from 1 × 10° to 19.7 × 102 MPN/100 mL, Salmonella from 1 × 102 to 39 × 103 CFU/100 mL and Pseudomonas aeruginosa from 1 × 10° to 3 × 103 MPN/100 mL. Correlation analysis indicated potential relationships between bacteria, oxygen, and water temperature. The results of the health risk assessment indicated a potential risk of gastrointestinal illnesses due to exposure to Enterococci and Salmonella spp. present in the cisterns and ponds, highlighting the need for appropriate regulations and guidelines for RHRW aimed for non-potable uses. Blue-green infrastructure, when effectively managed and maintained, can offer benefits both by enhancing urban climate resilience and promoting citizens well-being.

KW - Blue-green infrastructure

KW - Health risk assessment

KW - Rainwater quality

KW - Risk of illness

KW - Roof-harvested rainwater

KW - Urban resilience

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85182896351&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.ijheh.2024.114320

DO - 10.1016/j.ijheh.2024.114320

M3 - Article

C2 - 38184969

AN - SCOPUS:85182896351

JO - International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health

JF - International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health

SN - 1438-4639

IS - 256

M1 - 114320

ER -