All posts by RainBankAdmin

Rainwater Catchment

Why Harvest Rain During a Drought?

water-102952_640With little rain falling from the sky, the drought in Washington and California has forced the issue of mandates for businesses and individuals to cut water use.

Why waste precious drops when they can be harvested from the roof?

In a recent story about harvesting rainwater during the drought, designer Mike Brioli of Living Systems Designs is interviewed about his own rainwater collection system, which funnels water from his roof through a filter to a 1,500-gallon tank hidden above ground behind greenery. Then, underground pipes lead the rainwater to a pumping system. The collected rainwater is used for toilet flushing and laundry.

Brioli receives a couple of calls per day from folks interested in their own system, inquiring about cost, space needed and steps that need to be taken to design and install a rain harvesting system.

Systems can range from simple rain barrels for garden irrigation, to more elaborate and expensive systems, where water is collected, filtered and treated and used for drinking.

While a potable system may require a larger investment, the long-term savings are measurable. Plus, aging infrastructure is a concern in some areas. Having a rainwater collection system designed and installed is a way for residential and business customers to supplement city or well water in the event of a shortage or even worse, fear of health risk, such as was caused by the hazardous spill into the Animas River in Colorado, which spread to New Mexico and Utah.

Rainwater Harvesting Education, Sustainability

Standards Set for Stormwater Collection

a-small-waterfall-143194_640 Standards. They are the benchmarks we use to help us make decisions about the food we eat, the cars we purchase, the schools we choose and the water we use.

The American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association (ARCSA) and the American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE) have jointly developed a Stormwater Harvesting Standard, which received American National Standards (ANSI) approval.

This new standard offers direction on how to safely apply stormwater collection for direct end-use applications.

“The American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE) is pleased to announce that ARCSA/ASPE/ANSI 78-2015: Stormwater Harvesting System Design for Direct End-Use Applications was approved as an American National Standard by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) on August 3, 2015”

The standard is set to offer a secure alternate to utility-provided water and to elevate stormwater use to decrease reliance on the aging infrastructure afflicting many municipal water systems.

“Use of the standard will ensure that consumers are not at risk from poor design, installation, maintenance, or illegal work and that the stormwater catchment system will assist in maintaining and enhancing the quality of the environment while assisting compliance with the intent of relevant regulations and government officials.”

Read more about the standard here.

RainBank is proud to be a lifetime member of ARCSA and applauds its ongoing efforts to set and maintain standards for rainwater harvesting.

Professional Development

Continuing Ed For Rainwater Pros in Vancouver WA

arcsaDo you know that rainwater harvesting professionals can get their nerd on through educational opportunities, brought to us by the American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association (ARCSA)?

ARCSA’s mission is “to promote sustainable rainwater harvesting practices to help solve potable, non-potable, stormwater and energy challenges throughout the world.”

In addition to informative articles and other information about rainwater collection, ARCSA offers training and development opportunities for RWC professionals to achieve industry accreditation.

ARCSA and Washington State University Extension and Clark County are offering a comprehensive Rainwater Catchment Accredited Professional training course (please click to register), on August 21 & 22, 2015 at the Heritage Farm in Vancouver, Washington.

According to ARCSA’s recent email: With the ongoing water crisis in California, and now the Pacific Northwest, this workshop will focus on the Oregon and Washington Issues. Residents of the Pacific Northwest are encouraged to attend to learn to capture stormwater, while creating additional “reservoirs” to store water for future beneficial uses. You can’t use it if you don’t store it.

Be sure to follow ARCSA on Twitter and Facebook for important updates about California and Washington drought conditions, or sign up for their mailing list to receive emails about rainwater harvesting and educational opportunities.