Microbiology of rainwater cistern systems: A review

Many parts of the world do not have community water systems or have systems so badly in need of maintenance and repair that individually maintained water systems are still considered to be an appropriate and important source of potable water. The collection of rainwater by individuals using a cistern storage system is currently practiced in almost every nation in the world. A survey of American State Health Departments revealed that there are an estimated 253,815 cistern systems still in use in the United States. The scientific community is often reluctant to promote individually maintained water systems (such as rainwater catchment ‐ cistern storage systems) as being equal in quality to centrally maintained community water systems because domestic cistern systems are typically under maintained, not disinfected, and fall short of current microbiological guidelines for potable water. This review article provides information about the current use of rainwater catchment systems in the United States.