Alternative water sources for residential irrigation systems: A case study from Istanbul

Abstract

Water is the primary life-giving resource and hence requires careful preservation. Choosing an 
irrigation system, which uses an alternative water source such as graywater or harvested rainwater will 
help this preservation. The intent of this study is to compare residential irrigation system designs that 
draw their water source from graywater, harvested rainwater or municipal water. For realizing this 
comparison, the following criteria were evaluated: Availability of water, system components, cost and 
maintenance. In conclusion, this study found that municipal water is still an economically feasible 
source for residential system in Istanbul, despite the fact that graywater and harvested rainwater are 
the preferred sources in terms of sustainability.