The large temporal and spatial variability of rainwater quality, as well as the relatively small number of tests, makes the preliminary assessment of its economic exploitation difficult. Determining the relationship between the conditions and location of rainwater collection and rainwater quality would help indicate the range of options for rainwater use, as well as the parameters that require improvement. The aim of the presented article is to establish the physical, chemical, and microbiological parameters of different rainwater sources and, from the results obtained, determine the possibilities for its safe use in households. The research was carried out for two years. Samples of rainfall were collected from spring to fall from the following roofing materials: Concrete roof tiles, ceramic roof tiles, galvanized steel sheet, and epoxy-coated terrace. The physical, chemical, and microbiological quality were assessed on the basis of the pH, turbidity, electrical conductivity, the concentration of biogenic compounds, the concentration of chosen elements, the number of Escherichia coli, and the number of fecal streptococci. Significant bacterial contamination, decreased pH, and increased turbidity were identified in the water, depending on the parameters of the roofing washed by the rainfall and the intensity and frequency of precipitation.

Rainwater has been found to be a valuable source of drinking water in Europe, especially in such crisis situations as those caused by contamination of water uptake into water supply systems, large-scale floods or terrorist attacks (e.g., biological weapons). The microbiological quality of water plays a significant role, which is directly related to the potential health risks associated with harvested rainwater (including rainwater stored in the tanks). Microbial contamination is commonly found in rainwater. However, in the literature, detailed results of qualitative and quantitative microbiological assessments are sparse and remain unexplored. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate and analyze changes in the microbiological quality of roof-harvested rainwater stored in the tanks, depending on the collection conditions (type of roof surface), storage duration and season. Authors elucidate that conditions such as storage duration, the season in which rainwater is collected, the roof-like surface types and morphology of the catchment area highly affect rainwater quality. This study showed that rainwater harvested from a galvanized steel sheet roof had the best microbial quality, regarding the lowest number of bacteria, while rainwater from a flat roof covered with epoxy resin was the worst. Further, it was detected that rainwater collected in autumn and spring obtained the best microbiological quality. Moreover, a decrease in the number of bacteria was observed in correlation to storage duration. The water became sanitary safe after six weeks of storage at 12 °C. Its use for purposes requiring drinking water quality before six weeks of storage required disinfection.

Growing areas of sealed surfaces, rising water needs due to industry development, increasing populations, and climatic changes affect precipitation patterns and form a vision of the future in which meteoric water storage may become almost an obligatory activity. The aim of this paper was to...

One of the most frequently implemented processes in the water treatment technology is filtration through a biosorption bed. Techniques based on biochemical processes involving bacteria result in obtaining high quality water. There are a number of different materials used as filler material for...

A very important role in determining the quality of water is the assessment of its microbiological quality. Water quality control, which could pose a direct threat to human health and life, is performed in the case of water produced at water treatment plants, tap water, or water in swimming pools. However, these traditional methods used to assess its quality are laborious and time-consuming. In emergency and incidental situations, in the era of terrorist threats, the need for quick, reliable, and reproducible microbiological determinations seems to be essential. In this study, an attempt was made to compare various methods of assessing the microbiological quality of water. The assessment was carried out for water with different microbiological characteristics: surface water, rainwater, groundwater, and water supply. The evaluation was carried out using traditional culture methods and high-speed methods: flow cytometry and luminometry. The analysis of microbiological parameters was the basis for the statistical analysis. The conducted microbiological analysis of various types of water, along with their statistical evaluation, showed different dependencies for each of the analyzed waters.