Greater Puget Sound Area Is Thirsty for Rainwater Collection

Sea Scouts Galveston TxThirsty for Rainwater Collection.

With more than 15 years’ designing and installing rainwater collection systems in and around Washington State, RainBank moved operations to the Seattle area four years ago to meet demand for Seattle and the Puget Sound region (and beyond… see Sea Scout Base photo above).

20150720_145650-2Experience and knowledge.

Seeing increased interest, we recognized the need for an experienced and knowledgeable designer and installer in the greater Puget Sound area.

Credentials Matter

Most counties in Washington State require an American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association Accredited (ARCSA) professional or Washington State licensed engineer with experience in water systems to design a potable rainwater catchment system. If the system requires pumping or filtration, a Washington State licensed plumber is required for installation of a rainwater collection system and is subject to permitting and inspections by the Department of Health. RainBank Rainwater Systems met this challenge long before it was required by the state legislature with ARCSA accreditation and in-house, licensed plumbers.

Steel Tanks

In the commercial market, there has been a need for competitive pricing for steel water tank sales and installation. After more than five years of commercial installations in the Seattle area, RainBank is filling that need as the Northwest Regional Dealer and certified installer of Pinnacle and Contain Water Tanks.

Rainwater collection is moving from niche to mainstream.

A full-service company offering design, consultation, cost analysis, permitting, construction, and component sales, RainBank’s experience and knowledge is unmatched in the industry.

RainBank is there for you to get the job done right the first time.

Rainwater is a Safe Source of Drinking Water

gutter-pipe-54531_640We know we can effectively capture, store, and use rainwater as a safe, viable source of potable water (drinking water) in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest.

A temperate climate offers rainfall throughout the year, including a little in most summers. With low intensity and high frequency rainfall, storage volume to use ratio is close to ideal. The autumn rain returns cisterns to high levels after summer usage and winter’s increased rainfall keeps them at optimal levels. As spring arrives, cistern levels continue to be supplied by less rainfall, but enough to allow summer demands to be met. The Pacific Northwest does not witness an extended “hard freeze” in the winter months as other parts of the country, allowing storage to be unaffected by most weather conditions. Marine winds help keep our air quality above average, with limited pollutants affecting quality. The same weather systems that produce snow caps for our municipal summer supplies also comes to us as rain in lower elevations, which can be stored for immediate and future use.

Storage is calculated by annual and monthly amounts, intensity, frequency, return period, and maximum number of dry days along with catchment area and surface runoff coefficients. Use or demands are based on number of occupants, fixtures, evaporation, efficiencies, indoor and outdoor requirements. Supply and demand equilibrium is compared to determine storage capacity, surplus/deficit, and level of storage. The frequency, return period and monthly amounts in Seattle and Puget Sound region can support whole house, year round use of rainwater collection.

An average 2,250 sq ft house in the Seattle area has the potential of collecting more than 53,000 gallons of water from its roof, rather than entering the storm system and accumulating contaminants before discharging in our waterways. Residential and commercial new construction is mandated to disperse roof runoff onsite, which is a good step toward protecting our waterways. But, why not use that water for our needs? Absorption type filtration, ultra violet light disinfection along with proper design, construction, and maintenance will allow homeowners to easily become their own purveyor of their own water source.

While most municipal water supplies are safe in the US, the recent water crises in Michigan and Ohio have brought public concern of quality and safety of our centralized water supplies. Costly repairs and replacement of an aging centralized water system will be required in the next 20 years. Rainwater collection is a viable, safe source of potable water for the homeowner in many counties in Washington State and elsewhere in the US and should be considered by those who don’t.

Rainwater collection helps protect our environment, conserves energy, decreases water contamination, helps prevent flooding, erosion and sewage releases into our waterways.

Tell your local government that you would like to see rainwater collection for single-family home potable use.

Aging Infrastructure Is National Public Health Issue

pipes-573482_640At RainBank, we’ve been talking about how aging infrastructure will affect public water systems. Now, we have to change that conversation to how aging infrastructure IS affecting public water systems.

The poisoning of the population in Flint, MI is an issue that Erin Brockovich has been alerting us about since the public water system changed sources in 2014.

According to NPR, in an article titled Beyond Flint, MI, St. Joseph, Louisiana has been experiencing problems with its aging water system for ten years. The article quotes a local resident as saying: “What’s happening here in St. Joseph got the attention it’s gotten because Flint has made water a public issue,” he says. “And what I try to tell people is, this isn’t just happening in St. Joseph or in Flint. It’s happening in Louisiana, it’s happening in Kentucky and Tennessee and Mississippi and in areas of poor and disenfranchised communities across the country.”

Now, Ohio gets added to the mix, as Two Ohio EPA staffers on leave over lead in village’s water. According to CNN, State Rep. John Boccieri and state Sen. Joe Schiavoni said late last month that the Ohio EPA knew lead was leaking into Sebring’s water supply as far back as August, citing reports from Ream & Haager Laboratory, a state-certified vendor that conducted water tests.

This is a national public health issue. Do you know what levels of toxins are in your water?