You can find anything you like on the internet and if you just type in the word rainwater you will come across many articles about whether it is safe to drink.
Considering half the world lives in a climate where the scarcity of water means that rain is always collected as it falls and without hesitation drunk, it is surprising to read some comments about the possible dangers of drinking it.
Of course the doubters all live in affluent cities and probably do not even drink tap water but buy expensive bottled water instead.
Some people collect water from rain that falls on the roofs of their houses and passes along their cast iron guttering into a vat or barrel.
The question of whether this is drinkable is presumably just one of necessity or not.
In some countries like for example England, it is almost irresponsible not to have a barrel collecting water from the downpipe of the cast iron gutters if there is a garden to be watered.
Occasionally there is such a lack of summer rain that a hose pipe ban is declared which may last for weeks.
At this point the gardener with his forethought will have a huge tub of water for watering his garden.
All this water collected previously from the flow along the cast iron guttering of his house will now come in very handy to save his flowerbeds.
If the hose pipe ban stays for more than a week or two then water authorities in England use helicopters to identify any suspiciously green lawns in towns and cities.
This draconian attitude is a big deterrent to anyone thinking of sneaking out in the middle of the night whilst his neighbours are asleep and watering his lawn with a hose connected to a house tap.
Fines can be enormous when the officials from the water authority come knocking at the door.
If however, you can prove that the only reason your garden looks greener than anyone else's is because you had the foresight to collect barrels of water by collecting rain water from the downpipe of your cast iron gutters then you should be let off.
As it happens, many gardeners use the water from their guttering system all year round whether there is a water ban or not.
Since the privatisation of water companies in England there are several independent suppliers covering several regions.
Some of these companies charge a set quarterly rate and others insist on a water meter.
Any keen gardener with a meter can save himself a lot of money by using all the rainwater he can collect.
This practice of collecting gutter water is going to increase dramatically because of the combination of escalating water prices and also the fact that it has just been announced by the government that every house without exception will have to be fitted with a water meter by the end of next year.
Considering half the world lives in a climate where the scarcity of water means that rain is always collected as it falls and without hesitation drunk, it is surprising to read some comments about the possible dangers of drinking it.
Of course the doubters all live in affluent cities and probably do not even drink tap water but buy expensive bottled water instead.
Some people collect water from rain that falls on the roofs of their houses and passes along their cast iron guttering into a vat or barrel.
The question of whether this is drinkable is presumably just one of necessity or not.
In some countries like for example England, it is almost irresponsible not to have a barrel collecting water from the downpipe of the cast iron gutters if there is a garden to be watered.
Occasionally there is such a lack of summer rain that a hose pipe ban is declared which may last for weeks.
At this point the gardener with his forethought will have a huge tub of water for watering his garden.
All this water collected previously from the flow along the cast iron guttering of his house will now come in very handy to save his flowerbeds.
If the hose pipe ban stays for more than a week or two then water authorities in England use helicopters to identify any suspiciously green lawns in towns and cities.
This draconian attitude is a big deterrent to anyone thinking of sneaking out in the middle of the night whilst his neighbours are asleep and watering his lawn with a hose connected to a house tap.
Fines can be enormous when the officials from the water authority come knocking at the door.
If however, you can prove that the only reason your garden looks greener than anyone else's is because you had the foresight to collect barrels of water by collecting rain water from the downpipe of your cast iron gutters then you should be let off.
As it happens, many gardeners use the water from their guttering system all year round whether there is a water ban or not.
Since the privatisation of water companies in England there are several independent suppliers covering several regions.
Some of these companies charge a set quarterly rate and others insist on a water meter.
Any keen gardener with a meter can save himself a lot of money by using all the rainwater he can collect.
This practice of collecting gutter water is going to increase dramatically because of the combination of escalating water prices and also the fact that it has just been announced by the government that every house without exception will have to be fitted with a water meter by the end of next year.
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