Rainwater : Is it safe to drink rainwater in New Zealand? If so,how do I collect it? Do I filter it?

Question

Drinking rainwater in New Zealand

Answer 1

What a sad state of affairs the world has come to when the majority of, if not all, your answerers warn you against drinking natural water that has fallen from the sky!! They urge you to only drink water processed through treatment plants and saturated with chemicals. How can this possibly be better for you??? I live in New Zealand and I collect rainwater into two 25,000 litre storage tanks. I use the water for all purposes, including drinking it. I have never suffered any ill affects. Most of my neighbours do the same, because we live in a rural area and have difficulty connecting to a 'town' supply. In New Zealand, if you can collect the rainwater directly into a clean uncontaminated container, I fail to see how it can hurt you to any degree greater than by taking water from a chemically treated source. My own water is collected via the roof of my house and outbuildings, consequently there is no doubt that it needs to be 'treated' before it is consumed. However, I do not use chemicals but rather the water passes through a UV filter which destroys any 'bugs' which may be picked up as the water flows over the roof and/or through the pipework. As far as I am concerned, the only drawback to collecting and drinking purely rainwater is that it does not accumulate many of the beneficial minerals that water which has flowed along riverbeds or come from underground wells does.

So my answer to your question is that rainwater is fine. You can collect it by diverting it from roof surfaces into holding tanks. But, you should always pass the water through a UV or similar 'sterilizing' system before drinking it (not because of what is in the water as it falls but what it picks up from the surfaces it passes over before it gets to the holding tank). If you're talking about simply collecting it in some personal container as and when it rains and you are worried in any way by what you are being told by others, then you can buy small personal water filters from pretty well any outdoors shop.

Answer 2

Rainwater is safe to drink, especially in the countryside away from the main pollutants of the city sky.

No need to filter it if the collection system doesn't pollute it.

Rainwater is fantastic for washing hair. Because of the PH of rainwater, it makes your hair very soft. Try it!

Answer 3

No I would not suggest this. Despite being marketed as a "clean green" country, NZ has some of the worst records in any developed country on pesticide use and dioxins in its environment. It is quite likely that rain water here would be contaminated by such pollutants and pesticides and it would be best to filter and distill all collected rainwater before drinking it.

Though in an emergency if you were trapped somewhere and were going to die from lack of hydration, then that might be worth the risk....

Answer 4

The only reason I could think of where you can't drink rain water is if you have no mouth. OK, enough joking. In some third world nations, they drain rooftop rain gutters into barrels to collect water for drinking. Rain water might be a little bit acid compared to water out of the ground or from rivers, which are somewhat neutralized from contact with minerals, so you'd be missing some of those minerals. If you live in a really polluted city, it might be a good idea not to drink rain when it just starts, as it's washing out all the particulate material in the air (car exhaust, diesel fumes, dust, etc). Other than that, I can't think of why you shouldn't be drinking it.

Answer 5

It is likely that rain water in New Zealand would be contaminated by pollutants and pesticides, it would be best to filter and distill all collected rainwater before drinking it.

Answer 6

Rainwater is great for washing your hair and stuff because of the nutrients and chemicals it contains, but drinking is another question. Because pollution is so bad these days, i wouldn't suggest it.

Answer 7

Rainwater in New Zealand is full of Shepherd's semen as the sheep pee in the rivers and some is evaporated in the hydrological cycle of the North Island.If you like the thought of indirectly deep throating a hunky Kiwi farmer then why not try it.-Hey-ho you only live once!!

Answer 8

Water will pick up pollutants/ Particulates in the air, at least boil it and add a tablespoon of bleach for disinfectant, I don't know what concentration of bleach to add, but, It's something like a teaspoon to 1 gallon of H2O, boiling/adding bleach will remove Bacteria but, will not remove toxins, I wouldn't collect rain water and drink it (unless I had to), Municipal supply is much safer to drink, your access to drinking water should AL WAY'S be from a secure place, remember, just because water "LOOKS" OK to drink, doesn't mean it is, the most harmful things in water are often invisible...Stay safe ! 17 years water dept. purification !

Answer 9

rainwater is naturally acidic, so i wouldnt drink it, does hell for your teeth. in the UK they put small amounts of chlorine in the tap water to make it more tooth friendly

Answer 10

I dont now but I wouldnt drink it but you can water your plants with it