All posts by Ken Blair

A rainwater collection systems designer and consultant, Ken has designed and installed residential and commercial systems, primarily in the northwest United States for more than 10 years and, in 2014, began consulting and managing builds in other states. Ken is an accredited ARCSA Professional Designer / Installer and Life Member, the Northwest Regional ARCSA representative and advisor to its education committee and is available to speak about Rainwater Collection Systems design and builds. Ken is a United States Navy veteran, having served on active duty during the Vietnam War era. A career entrepreneur, Ken created a new business focus with a commercial dive company in Hawaii in the mid 1980′s to respond to and clean up oil spills, oil spill equipment training, service and maintenance for the oil co-op service industry. Ken is passionate about having a positive impact on the environment and is also a founding director of BANK-ON-RAIN (2011-2014), whose mission is to create grassroots solutions for rainwater collection for consumption and agriculture in developing areas of the planet.
Rainwater Harvesting Education

Do You Want to Learn About Rainwater Harvesting?

Ken Blair Seattle Home Show
Ken Blair, RainBank, presents an educational seminar at the Seattle Home Show

RainBank’s president, Ken Blair, offers educational rainwater harvesting seminars to schools, community groups, engineering and architectural firms.  Do you want to learn about rainwater harvesting?

Your group or organization can learn about laws, codes, and general use of harvested rainwater. Various rainwater collection techniques, methodologies, and components can be covered in RainBank’s seminars.  If your school, community organization, landscaping company, architectural or engineering firm wants to learn about rainwater harvesting, Ken will tailor the presentation to your questions and needs.

Passionate about having a positive impact on the environment and dedicated to help create grassroots solutions for rainwater collection for consumption and agriculture, Ken has more than 10 years of practical application in the Pacific Northwest designing and installing rainwater catchment systems. RainBank has designed and installed 100 potable residential systems in Washington State and is an accredited professional member of ARCSA (American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association).

Ken has taught water conservation and the natural cycle at the elementary school level. Community groups can learn how single family homes can supplement their city water usage, architects are being asked to incorporate rainwater water harvesting in residential home designs and engineers are including systems for commercial applications. Ken Blair has been a speaker at the ARCSA convention in Portland, Oregon and has been mentioned or quoted in articles from Net Zero, Commercial Builders Magazine, and was highlighted in ARCSA Accredited Professional (AP) Profiles.  Photos of RainBank’s water tank installations are featured on Washington State Department of Ecology website (look for slideshow in right hand column).

Ken’s experience, insight and ongoing education can assist your group, company or organization in making informed decisions about rainwater harvesting.

Would you like to invite Ken to conduct a seminar for your group?  Please complete the form below.

Commercial Rainwater Harvesting, Rainwater Catchment, Residential Rainwater Collection

Rainwater Catchment Association Profiles RainBank

Rainwater Catchment Association Profiles RainBankThe mission of the American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association (ARCSA) is to promote sustainable rainwater harvesting practices to help solve potable, non-potable, stormwater and energy challenges throughout the world. Visit ARCSA on Facebook.

RainBank is an ARCSA accredited designer and installer of rainwater collection, rainwater harvesting and rainwater storage systems and also designs water systems.  Click here to read ARCSA’s profile of RainBank’s efforts in rainwater collection and harvesting.

Rainwater Catchment, Residential Rainwater Collection

What Can You Do to Protect Your Home Water Supply?

Do You Know What's in Your Drinking WaterAccording to a recent article by ARCSA.org about the recent spill affecting West Virginia’s municipal water supply, the chemical in the West Virginia water spill—4-methylcyclohexane methanol (MCHM)—is among a long list of chemicals that include perchlorate (rocket fuel), MTBE (an automobile fuel additive), ethylene glycol (anti-freeze), MEK (solvent) and formaldehyde, for which there are no EPA drinking-water limits. That’s right, as unbelievable as it sounds, any amount can be in your drinking water without exceeding the EPA Drinking Water standards.

What can you do to protect your home water supply?   Rainwater harvesting now integrates modern designs, techniques and materials to collect, store, and use rainwater for home and commercial use.

“With increased pollutants in our municipal water system and our environment, there are alternatives that can be incorporated into our daily lives”, according to Ken Blair, President of RainBank, an ARCSA (American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association) lifetime member and an Accredited Professional.  Ken participates in ongoing education on water quality and techniques for rainwater collection and has been designing and installing commercial and residential rainwater systems for more than 10 years, having installed more than 100 potable rainwater harvesting systems throughout Washington state. Ken strives to be the best in the industry, bringing new and improved techniques to his designs.

RainBank Rainwater Catchment Systems has developed a process that incorporates whole house deionization, specifically for residential usage in the Seattle area. Asphalt shingle roofs are predominant in the Seattle area, leaving most residences unable to collect rainwater for potable usage. However, with whole house deionization added to filtration and disinfection systems, virtually all contaminants can be removed, achieving ultra-pure water of laboratory quality. Deionization, along with filtration and UV disinfection can be included in the treatment of not only your rainwater harvesting system but also your city water.

“Contaminated Beach” courtesy of think4photop / www.freedigitalphotos.net