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, Residential Rainwater Collection

Truths and Myths About King County Rainwater Harvesting


Close-up of a worn, metallic fountain pen nib on a black surface.I have been designing and installing rainwaterharvesting systems in King County and throughout Washington State for 15 years and am still amazed and dismayed at the misinformation that is presented to the pubic wheninquiring about the legality, procedures, and permitting for rainwater harvesting.

TRUTH: Rainwater collection is legal throughout Washington State

Washington State Department of Ecology issued an interpretive policy statementclarifying that a water right is not required for rooftop rainwaterharvesting.Asdescribed by Washington State Department Ecology, Clarifications of Washington State Rainwater Law Pol 1017 in reference to RCW980.03 & RCW90.54 and the Environmental Protection Agency’s paper on Rainwater Harvesting Conservation, Credit, Codes, and Cost Literature Review and Case Studies

False: Rainwaterharvesting is not allowed for drinking water in Washington State.

It is up to each county and city in Washington State to allow for potable usage of rainwater. King, Jefferson, Whatcom, San Juan, Skagit, and Island are counties that currently allow potable use of rainwater for a single-family residence. It is the health department of those counties that are the typical authorities forregulations and permitting.

Here are some resources for gathering information about rainwater collection guidelines in Washington:

As Washington State counties arerecognizing thebenefits of rainwater collection and the fact that rainwater can provide a viable source of water for potable usage, other counties willadopt RWC as an alternative water source.

RainBank Rainwater Systems is the leader in rainwater collection system designs and installations in Washington State and president Ken Blair is the NW RegionalRepresentative for The American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association (ARCSA). RainBank is committed to helpingcustomers andcounties understand thebenefits, standards, and policies of rainwaterharvesting in order to provide a clean, safe, viable source ofquality water.

Seattle waterfront park photo is courtesy of Nicola under Creative Commons

Environment, Sustainability

Can You Collect Rainwater in Seattle’s Tight Living Space?


Seattle skyline with Space Needle and Mount Rainier in the background.You live in Seattle,where space is at a premium. You may not have a large lawn for tank placement, but you still want to live sustainably. You’ve already reduced your household and business energy usage and you recycle and reuse products to extend their life. So, how can you capture a vital resource by collectingrainwater in Seattle’s tight living space?

  • Just like rural homeowners, urban households can benefit from rainwater collection.Unlike rural homes, most city homes have less space available for storage. Slim line water tanks and underground storage options allow those who live in an urban environment to collect, store, and use rainwater for a number of purposes.
  • Bar chart comparing actual vs. desired monthly water use via rain catchment systems.You do not need a lot of storage capacity for supplemental use of rainwater.For every inchof rainfall, a thousand square feet of surface will yield 623 gallons of water. A 2,000 square foot roof in Seattle will yield over 44,000 gallons of water annually. Even with only 3,000 gallons of storage, winter use can be as much as 100% or can be stored for summer irrigation demands. See chart below –an average 2,000 square foot roof yields over 44, 000 gallons with only 3,000 gallons of storage capacity based on 120 gallons of daily demand. (click the image for larger view)
  • Rainwater is a clean source of water that needs very little treatment for irrigation, toilet flushing, or laundry facilities.Further treatment with UV disinfection allows forwhole house demands including drinking water. With more demands on our water districts due to drought conditions, every drop helps. Why not benefit from this natural resource, rather than send it down the curbside drain?

It is possible to further your conviction to live a sustainable life with rainwater collection. The investment can pay off not just for you, your family, and your business, but for all of us who seek to make the best use of rainwater, a vital resource.

This article was originally published under the title How Can Urban Homes Benefit From Rainwater Collection?

Rainwater Catchment, Rainwater Harvesting Education

Standards for Rainwater Collection


Close-up of a worn, metallic fountain pen nib on a black surface.The Rainwater collection industry is rapidly becoming more accepted, consumers are becoming more aware of water shortages, quality of water, and increasing costs of operations of a centralized water system are being passed onto the customer. Many are turning to a supplementary source of water, whether from a simple rain barrel, for small irrigation needs or a large-scale sustainable system for whole-house demands. The industry itself is changing and becoming more complex. States and counties throughout the US are witnessing such a rapid growth in interest of rainwater collection, many are struggling with regulations and standards to ensure public safety. In addition, increased demand is beginning to outpace the supply of available, qualified RWC system designers and installers. Without proper regulations standards, improper designs and installations by unqualified persons can lead to underperforming or even dangerous systems.

Without quality information and education, governmental intervention can lead to laws that do nothing to protect the consumer and the industry itself. Therefore the American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association (ARCSA) is the leader in education and information about RWC. The American Society of Plumbing Engineers, (ASPE) develops plumbing and design standards through a consensus of a standards development process in accordance with the American National Standards Institute, (ANSI). The Plumbing Engineering Standards are designed to provide accurate and authoritative information for design and specification of plumbing systems.

ARCSA/ASPE/ANSI63-2013: Rainwater Catchment Systems Standard was approved by the American National Standards Institute on Nov. 14, 2013 and was developed by a joint effort and sponsorship support from the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) International. The purpose of this standard is to assist engineers, designers, plumbers, builders/developers, local government, and end users in safely implementing a rainwater collection system. This standard is intended for application to new rainwater catchment installations, as well as alterations, maintenance, and repairs to existing systems.

ARCSA and RainBank Rainwater Systems are committed to education and the advancement of rainwater collection. RainBank’s president Ken Blair is ARCSA’s North West Regional Representative.