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Holistic impact assessment and cost savings of rainwater harvesting at the watershed scale.

ABSTRACT: We evaluated the impacts of domestic and agricultural rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems in three watersheds within the Albemarle-Pamlico river basin (southeastern U.S.) using life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle cost assessment. Life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) categories included energy demand, fossil fuel, metals, ozone depletion, global warming, acidification, smog, blue and green water use, ecotoxicity, eutrophication, and human health effects. Building upon previous LCAs of near-optimal domestic and agricultural RWH systems in the region, we scaled functional unit LCIA scores for adoption rates of 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% and compared these to conventional municipal water and well water systems. In addition to investigating watershed-scale impacts of RWH adoption, which few studies have addressed, potential life cycle cost savings due to reduced cumulative energy demand were scaled in each watershed for a more comprehensive analysis. The importance of managing the holistic water balance, including blue water (surface/ground water), green water (rainwater) use, and annual precipitation and their relationship to RWH are also addressed. RWH contributes to water resource sustainability by offsetting surface and ground water consumption and by reducing environmental and human health impacts compared to conventional sources. A watershed-wide RWH adoption rate of 25% has a number of ecological and human health benefits including blue water use reduction ranging from 2-39 Mm3, cumulative energy savings of 12-210 TJ, and reduced global warming potential of 600-10,100 Mg CO2 eq. Potential maximum lifetime energy cost savings were estimated at $5M and $24M corresponding to domestic RWH in Greens Mill and agricultural RWH in Back Creek watersheds.

SUBMITTER: Ghimire SR

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6638562 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Holistic impact assessment and cost savings of rainwater harvesting at the watershed scale.

Ghimire Santosh R SR Johnston John M JM

Elementa (Washington, D.C.) 20170101

We evaluated the impacts of domestic and agricultural rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems in three watersheds within the Albemarle-Pamlico river basin (southeastern U.S.) using life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle cost assessment. Life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) categories included energy demand, fossil fuel, metals, ozone depletion, global warming, acidification, smog, blue and green water use, ecotoxicity, eutrophication, and human health effects. Building upon previous LCAs of near-o ...[more]

PMID: 31321246

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Project description:BackgroundIn Brazil, about two million people living in rural semiarid regions were benefited with the construction of rainwater cement cisterns, as an initiative from the program "One Million Cisterns" (P1MC). Nevertheless, few epidemiological studies have been conducted to assess health risks or protection effects associated with consumption of this water source. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether access to rainwater harvesting cisterns is associated with the decrease in the occurrence of Giardia duodenalis infections in children, compared to other children living in households supplied by other water sources.Methodology/principal findingsA quasi-experimental study with two concurrent cohorts was developed in two rural municipalities of the semiarid region of Brazil. A sample of 664 children, aged between 4 months and 5 years old, was followed up, of which 332 had access to rainwater cisterns (cistern group) and 332 did not, having water supplied from alternative sources (comparison group). In a period of approximately one year (2010) intestinal parasites were investigated in feces three times. The prevalence of G. duodenalis in children from the cistern group ranged from 4.8 to 10.5%, while the prevalence in the comparison group ranged from 7.6 to 16.7%. Multivariate analysis (GEE) showed a higher risk of G. duodenalis infection in children who did not have access to rainwater cisterns, when compared to children who did (OR 1.72; 95% CI 1.14-2.59). The other variables associated with G. duodenalis infection were: number of rooms per house (OR 0.89; 95% CI 0.80-0.99); family income (OR0.48; 95% CI 0.26-0.88); birth order (OR 1.72; 95% CI 1.17-2.51); preterm children (OR 1.70; 95% CI 1.19-2.43); and improper hand hygiene prior to food preparation (OR 4.78; 95% CI 1.95-11.76).Conclusions/significanceOwnership of a rainwater cistern is associated with a lower prevalence of G. duodenalis infection in children after adjustment for environmental and family-related factors. Nevertheless, the study suggests the necessity to complement physical interventions with actions related to personal and domestic hygiene to enable further reductions in parasite infections affecting mainly the underprivileged populations.

Project description:Rainwater harvesting (RWH) has been used globally to address water scarcity for various ecosystem uses, including crop irrigation requirements, and to meet the water resource needs of a growing world population. However, the costs, benefits and impacts of alternative crop types and irrigation practices is challenging to evaluate comprehensively. We present an assessment methodology to evaluate the sustainability of agricultural systems as applied to a southeastern U.S. river basin. We utilized detailed, crop-level cultivation information to calculate sustainability indicators (relative to well-water irrigation) at the basin scale (6-digit Hydrologic Unit Codes). 40 design configurations comprising crop types and irrigation practices were evaluated to demonstrate the methodology's robustness. Four RWH designs and four major crops (pasture-grass, soybeans, corn, and cotton) resembling current practices were evaluated, as well as six combined systems (combined RWH and well-water systems) with four globally representative crops (corn, soybeans, wheat, and quinoa). Sustainability scores were calculated by integrating seven life cycle impact indicators (cumulative energy demand, CO2 emission, blue water use, ecotoxicity, eutrophication, human health-cancer, and life cycle costs). At a basin-wide RWH adoption rate of 25%, the benefits, relative to 100% well-water, of the RWH systems irrigating soybeans and supported with well-water (0.4 well-water: 0.6 RWH) provided cumulative energy savings of 39 Peta Joule and reductions in CO2 emission, blue water use, ecotoxicity, eutrophication, and human health-cancer at 1.9 Mt CO2 eq., 6.9 Gm3, 5.7 MCTU, 6.6 kt N eq., and 0.07 CTU, respectively. These benefits increased linearly with RWH scaling variables including the adoption rates, system service life, crop area, and water needs. Our methodology integrates the three pillars of agricultural sustainability specific to rainwater harvesting into a single score. It is applicable to other locations worldwide facing water scarcity by modifying the RWH system design, selecting other crop types, and obtaining appropriate data.

Project description:BACKGROUND:Forty-five percent of births in the United States are unintended, and the costs of unintended pregnancy and birth are substantial. Clinical and policy interventions that increase access to the most effective reversible contraceptive methods (intrauterine devices and contraceptive implants) have potential to generate significant cost savings. Evidence of cost savings for these interventions is needed. OBJECTIVE:The purpose of this study was to conduct a cost-savings analysis of the Contraceptive CHOICE Project, which provided counseling and no-cost contraception, to demonstrate the value of investment in enhanced contraceptive care to the Missouri Medicaid program. STUDY DESIGN:The Contraceptive CHOICE Project was a prospective cohort study of 9256 reproductive-age women who were enrolled between 2007 and 2011. Study follow-up was completed October 2013. This analysis includes 5061 Contraceptive CHOICE Project participants who were current Missouri Medicaid beneficiaries or were uninsured and reported household incomes <201% of the federal poverty line. We created a simulated comparison group of women who were receiving care through the Missouri Title X program and modeled the contraception and pregnancy outcomes that would have occurred in the absence of the Contraceptive CHOICE Project. Data about contraceptive use for the comparison group (N=5061) were obtained from the Missouri Title X program and adjusted based on age, race, ethnicity, and income. To make an accurate comparison that would account for the difference in the 2 populations, we used our simulation model to estimate total Contraceptive CHOICE Project costs and total comparison group costs. We reported all costs in 2013 dollars to account for inflation. RESULTS:Among the Contraceptive CHOICE Project participants who were included, the uptake of intrauterine devices and implants was 76.1% compared with 4.8% among the comparison group. The estimated contraceptive cost for the simulated Contraceptive CHOICE Project group was $4.0 million vs $2.3 million for the comparison group. The estimated numbers of unintended pregnancies and births averted among the simulated Contraceptive CHOICE Project group compared with the comparison group were 927 and 483, respectively, which represented a savings in pregnancy and maternity care of $6.7 million. We estimated that the total cost savings for the state of Missouri attributable to the Contraceptive CHOICE Project was $5.0 million (40.7%) over the project duration. CONCLUSION:A program providing counseling and no-cost contraception yields substantial cost savings because of the increased uptake of highly effective contraception and consequent averted unintended pregnancy and birth.

Dataset Information

Holistic impact assessment and cost savings of rainwater harvesting at the watershed scale.

Publications

Holistic impact assessment and cost savings of rainwater harvesting at the watershed scale.

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