What are the benefits to the environment if you own a rainwater tank?

Question

What are the benefits to the environment if you own a rainwater tank?

Answer 1

You are conserving water, conserving resources and helping reduce runoff.

Using rain water for irrigation or other items is a great practice. When rain comes down it washes fertilizers from lawn, oil from streets and other things into the water ways, it can also overwhelm the water ways. By capturing it you reduce the impact. All water that comes to your house (unless you are on a well) needs to be treated, usually with cholrine, if you use captured rain water to water plants you are giving them a healthier source of water and you are saving the resources of treating the water that you would have used.  

Answer 2

If your community ran out of water or running low on water.

You can use that as your water source.

If you're asking about enviormental benefits, you can water your lawn with the water in it.

Or if you have an enviromental habitat in your backyard, water your backyard with it.

There aren't much benefits for having a tank like that for the enviorment.

Answer 3

By having your own rainwater tank you are saving municipally provided tap water. This water is transported from other places, treated, and transported to you so there's a lot of resources involved in getting water to you. The transportation does double damage - once in removing from the original location and twice in the resources needed for transport.  On the back end you're also helping the water enter the storm water runoff system more gradually.

Answer 4

1)save money because your not using city water

2)saving the chemicals that city uses to chemically treat the water to make it save to drink

3)you can use it whenever you need to to water the plants/garden if there is a watering ban

4)rain water has more beneficial ingredients in it for the plants

Answer 5

Just had to respond to the thing about mosquito larvae in the last post. In my community (rural) we don't get town supply, we rely solely on rainwater. I remember having mozzie larvae in our drinking water as a little kid, "wrigglies" we called them...yum. I have never fallen ill from rainwater, maybe I've built up a resistance to bird poo, dirt, bugs and dead rats?  

Answer 6

it would only be beneficial  if your somekind of obsesive compulsive person. I really cant see any benifits other than peice of mind that you don't have to drink city water that was prevously flowing around Human f***s and waste.   But with all the filters and technology I trust the water  I drink in my House but when I'm at a hotel I'll usually buy drinking water  because I don't know what the plumbing is made of. But who would wan the hassell of maintaining a huge water tank? You'd have to clean it and keep chemicals in there to keep the algea and slime from forming and god help you if mosquto's and other insects start laying lavea and eggs in your drinking water! You could become deathly ill!    besides if there is a paper mill or a powerhouse around you the rain gathers all the dust and polutents and brings in your tank!