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 Catchment

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.

Infrastructure, Potable

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.

Environment, Rainwater Catchment, Residential Rainwater Collection

Where Will the Next Water Crisis Happen?

640px-Salmon_swimming_upstream_in_Ketchikan_Creek_3Flint Water Crisis Deepens

As investigations deepen, the Flint, Michigan water crisis has exposed “leadership failures at every level” (according to an article in the Detroit Free Press quoting U.S. House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz), citing “festering” long term problems and questioning the EPA’s level of attention as lead levels in Flint’s water rose to poisonous intensities.

As such, we’d like to bring you a throwback Thursday post to highlight an agency that is being proactive about ensuring that homeowners have access to and control of their water supplies.

Last year, the Skagit County Planning Department issued its first residential building permit with rainwater collection as the sole source of water. This move came in response to the in stream flow rule, which impeded Skagit Valley residential property development. Read more…

We here at RainBank believe there are good folks at governmental agencies who are being progressive about ensuring public health and safety by providing ways for residents to have access to clean, safe drinking water – a basic human right.