Feasibility of rainwater harvesting for urban water management in Salt Lake City

Water managers in the western United States are being challenged by rapid urban growth and limited water availability. The development of new water resources is financially and ecologically expensive shortage management option. Water conservation, recycle and reuse, and increased urban water system efficiency are emerging as less costly alternatives. One alternative gaining national interest for urban water management is rainwater harvesting. Capture and reuse of rainwater near where it falls is an ancient concept practiced in many parts of the world, but it has been relatively ignored in new development in the U.S. Consequently, there is no standardized feasibility and design guidance and no standard specifications at the national level. Further, climate/development variability limits guidance available in other locations from being applied in the mountain west region of the U.S. This thesis takes the first step to address this need by presenting a feasibility study (legal, technical, and financial) of this technology for application in a semiarid mountain west metropolitan area. Using the Salt Lake City metropolitan area as a case study, the thesis explores the legal ramifications of rainwater harvesting under western water law, assesses the technical feasibility of precipitation-water use timing and capture system performance, and presents a simplified cost analysis for residential applications. A daily water balance analysis of single-family residences and a case study residential neighborhood indicates precipitation runoff from rooftops and connected impervious surfaces, respectively, on average can provide