Using rainwater to flush toilets

Rhino tank installation

A ‘Rhino tank’ has been installed at the Riverside Country Park in Kent, thanks to Southern Water's Business Partnership Fund. The Riverside Country Park nature reserve in Gillingham is benefiting from a new 2,350 litre rainwater tank - which when filled up with rainwater from gutters, weighs as much as an adult white male rhinoceros.

The Southern Water Business Partnership Fund reviews water efficiency ideas from businesses in Kent, Hampshire, Sussex and the Isle of Wight. Online applications are now open until 30 June 2024.
The nature reserve received a £31k grant from the Business Partnership Fund, to install the rainwater tank. The installation, which took just two weeks, now harvests the rain so water can be pumped into the visitor centre to flush the toilets.

Rainwater is pumped automatically to fill the toilet cistern. When the water tank is empty, the system switches over to use water from the mains.

Danielle Bowen, the Riverside Country Park manager said: “Southern Water’s Business Partnership Fund sponsorship of a rainwater harvesting system for Riverside Country Park is providing the park with the chance to reduce water usage, teach the public about water-saving strategies and overall enables us to have a greater impact in fighting climate change. We really appreciate receiving this “game-changer” in sustainable resource usage.”

Kimberley Turnbull, the Water Efficiency Manager at Southern Water, said: “Our panel decided to award a grant of £31k for this innovative rainwater harvesting solution. With more people and less water to go round, innovative rainwater solutions save money on water bills and help towards re-using rainwater.

Water is one of our most precious resources. Every year the population of the Southeast grows but the amount of water available stays the same. Due to hotter summers and less rainfall, increased pressure Is put on our water supplies. If we keep consuming at our current rate, in time, demand will outstrip supply – as there’s only so much we can take from our environment. The Southern Water Business Partnership Fund is an innovative scheme aiming to promote water efficiency in our region and find new ways to save water.”