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The increase in people's pro-ecological awareness as well as the constantly rising water prices mean that in recent years, more and more emphasis has been placed on the possibility of managing rainwater. In the literature, the issue of rainwater management is most often analysed in terms of preventing the so-called urban floods resulting from heavy rains in built-up areas with a high share of impervious surfaces. Another trend in the literature is the issue of collecting water for reuse, taking into account possibilities, limitations and financial profitability. If the use of drinking water is not necessary - as in the case of flushing toilets, watering plants or cleaning work, drinking water can be replaced with lower quality water, e.g. filtered rainwater. Rainwater belongs to natural water resources, is relatively easy to obtain, and is characterized by a low content of calcium and magnesium ions, and therefore low hardness. Unfortunately, it becomes contaminated during precipitation, due to the contact with polluted atmospheric air. Rainwater becomes further polluted during surface runoff, and the degree and type of contamination at this stage depends primarily on the type of surface onto which the water falls and flows. There are a number of analyses regarding the collection of water from the roofs of various buildings, mainly residential ones. However, there are only few publications on the quality of water outflowing from roads and potential possibility of its using. This is due to the fact that water from roofs requires less pre-treatment for economic use than water flowing from roads or other hardened surfaces, which contains, among others, petroleum substances, heavy metals, salt from anti-ice and tire abrasion products. So far, no comprehensive studies have been carried out in Poland showing the possibilities of use of water flowing from roads. The aim of this article is to direct research on the possibility of managing rainwater at the Motorway Rest Area (MRA).
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