If you run a business that has substantial water requirements, installing a rainwater harvesting system can be a very effective way to lower costs and make your operations more environmentally-friendly. Harvested rainwater can be turned to a wide variety of purposes, from irrigating crops to cleaning windows, and can even be made potable with thorough treatment.

However, any rainwater harvesting system is only as effective as the tanks it uses to store the collected rainwater. If you are considering setting up an on-site rainwater harvesting system, concrete water storage tanks are an excellent choice. Here are four good reasons to choose concrete water tanks over alternatives made from HDPE plastic, galvanised steel, or other materials:

Durability

When it comes to long-term durability, concrete water storage tanks are in a class of their own. With minimal maintenance and occasional inspections to check for cracking or spalling, a well-constructed concrete tank can withstand decades of use.

Concrete tanks are also immune to the corrosion that can plague aging galvanised steel tanks, and will not perish when exposed to prolonged sunlight, unlike cheaper polyethylene tanks. This makes them ideal for installation in exposed, unsheltered locations.

Load-Bearing Strength

Concrete water tanks are just as strong as they are durable, and this load-bearing strength can withstand both internal and external forces. Properly-cast concrete tanks can support the immense weight of thousands of gallons of stored water, so concrete is the material of choice if you require a high-capacity rainwater storage tank for an extensive harvesting system.

Concrete tanks can also withstand extremely heavy overhead loads and are particularly suitable for subterranean water storage systems. Corrugated concrete tanks are especially strong, and can bear the weight of large vehicles passing overhead. They can be safely installed underneath driveways and parking lots, and are very useful if your site lacks sufficient space for above-ground installation.

Algae Resistant

The thick, highly-insulated walls of a concrete water tank prevent external heat sources from raising water temperatures inside the tank. Unlike plastic tanks, concrete tanks also completely block out sunlight from reaching the water within, as long as they are fitted with suitable, sealed lids.

As a result, algal blooms that can contaminate your rainwater supplies are very unlikely to form inside concrete tanks, since they have no access to the heat and sunlight they need to survive. Concrete tanks will also prevent any microorganisms present in the harvested rainwater from proliferating, reducing filtration and sterilisation requirements if you intend to make the harvested water potable.

Recyclable

When a concrete water storage tank does reach the end of its long service life, the concrete itself can be reused. making your rainwater harvesting system even more eco-friendly. Crushed concrete made from disused water tanks can be repurposed as backfill or soil stabilisation material, and can also be used to construct durable driveways.