Selecting a language will automatically trigger the translation of the page content.

Rainwater recovery

Verified 09 December 2020 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

You can collect and store rainwater for your personal use only in certain cases and under certain conditions.

Rainwater can be collected for domestic use, excluding food consumption..

Internal Use

Inside your home, you can only use rainwater to:

  • Fill toilet flush
  • Wash floors
  • Wash laundry, provided you use a suitable water treatment device

Warning  

it is prohibited to use rain water that has been dripping on a roof containing asbestos-cement or lead inside your home.

External Use

You can use rainwater freely outside your home, such as watering your garden or cleaning your car.

Rain water recovery and storage requires a specific installation.

Installation

The rainwater that you collect must have only run down on a roof that is not accessible (except for maintenance and maintenance).

Water storage must be done in an above-ground or buried tank.

No anti-freeze product shall be applied in the storage tank.

Declaration

If your installation is connected to collective sanitation network (discharge of waste water into sewers), it is mandatory to make a declaration of use. This is the case if you use the rainwater collected inside your home.

This declaration must be made in the town hall, on free paper, with the department in charge of sanitation.

Who shall I contact

Your return must include the following information:

  • Identification of the building concerned
  • Assessment of water volumes used inside your home

If rainwater is used inside your home, access taps must be clearly identified.

Signaling

A marking plate with the marking Non-potable water with an explicit pictogram must be displayed next to each rain water outlet and rain water supplied WC.

This sign plate is available on the Internet or in DIY shops.

Locking

Rainwater taps must be capable of being locked (blocked). They must be opened with a specific tool, which is not permanently attached to the tap.

FYI  

it is forbidden to install a faucet distributing rain water in a room where there are taps distributing drinking water (except basements, basements and other ancillary rooms such as a garage for example).

If you use rainwater inside your home, you must:

  • Maintain your recovery equipment on a regular schedule
  • And follow up on these interviews by noting them on a health maintenance log

Maintenance

Every 6 months, you must check the cleanliness of your equipment and the presence of a nameplate undrinkable water.. You should also check for a connection between the human consumption network and the rainwater distribution network.

Every year, you must do (yourself or a company of your choice) the cleaning of the filters and the emptying, cleaning and disinfection of the storage tank. Valves and valves should also be checked (or checked).

Tracking

You have the obligation to keep up to date a sanitary maintenance log of your facility. This document must contain the following information:

  • Name and address of the maintenance company if you do not do the maintenance yourself
  • Detailed plan of rainwater recovery equipment
  • Provisioning Card
  • Audit dates and interview operations completed
  • Monthly index survey of rainwater volume assessment systems used in buildings connected to the wastewater collection system

As a landlord, you must inform your tenant about the operation of the rainwater recovery system.

If you sell your home, you must inform the buyer of the existence of this facility.

Control

The control of your rainwater collection system can be carried out by a technical officer of the drinking water network of your town hall.

The cost of this check is at your expense.

Who shall I contact

Sanctions

In case of risk of contamination of the public distribution network, you must carry out the protective measures prescribed by the technical agent.

If you refuse to carry out these protective measures, the mayor can ask for the closure of your branch, possibly with the use of public force.