All posts by RainBankAdmin

Environment

Good News For Drought Watchers

Washington State Drought MonitorHere’s some good news for Washington state drought watchers – the Department of Ecology has lifted the drought emergency and the governor’s Executive Water Emergency Committee recommends the drought declaration not be continued for this year.

More Good News

Heavy rains and snow have pulled Western Washington completely out of the woods, with the eastern portion of the state quickly following suit. The  U.S. Drought Monitor still shows eastern Washington in the dry to moderate zone, but compared with the report from just three months ago, the turnaround is sizable.

Since much of Washington’s water supply comes from snowpack accumulations, and which are more than 100 percent of normal for this time of year, current conditions just don’t meet the criteria required for the declaration of a drought emergency.

Weather forecasts for through March are for warmer, drier conditions as a result of El Niño, so Washington’s Water Supply Advisory Committee will continue to monitor water supply.

Rainwater Catchment

Encyclopedic Repository On Rainwater Harvesting

encyclopedicWhen RainBank’s president and founder Ken Blair started blogging about rainwater collection in January 2014, the plan was not to only to showcase his industry expertise, but to create a repository where folks interested in capturing and reusing rainwater, whether for commercial or residential, potable and non-potable applications, would have a resource for free, timely and useful information.

Our goal for 2016 is to continue sharing stories and knowledge about rainwater collection, harvesting, and recapture – however you choose to label this term as the industry moves from niche to mainstream.

Below is an excerpt from one of our first blog posts about building a simple rainwater collection system. It’s worth another read, or if you’re new to RainBank and seeing it for the first time, let us know your thoughts.

Cottage without gutter screen

“All rainwater catchment systems begin at the roof and gutters. Whether you want to irrigate, supplement, or go for potable (drinking water) usage, you need to remove debris before storing rainwater.”  Read more…

RainBank publishes (at least) three blog posts per week, chronicling current events and items of interest about rainwater harvesting systems, consulting, design, products, and more.

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Commercial Rainwater Harvesting, Residential Rainwater Collection

Ancient Practice Becomes a Hot Commodity

spider-985845_1280How is it that the ancient practice of rainwater harvesting is just catching on as a hot commodity to make and save money in commercial and residential worlds?

Businesses around the US are learning that in some areas, government is requiring better management of stormwater runoff, which necessitates the development of rainwater use across industries. Not just for drinking, captured rainwater can be used to toilet flushing and even to cool equipment.

At the recent ARCSA annual conference, held in drought-afflicted California, folks with an interest in rainwater harvesting gathered to learn how and why this ancient practice has moved from niche to mainstream. In the clip below, with excerpts from the ARCSA conference, CNBC’s Jane Wells talks about the business of capturing rainwater in California.

So, whether you’re a do-it-yourself kind of person and are seeking products, a Seattle homeowner in a small space wanting to design and install a residential system for lawn watering and laundry, or a commercial business in search of a steel tank to mitigate stormwater runoff, there’s a rainwater solution that can save the environment while saving you money down the road.

As this ancient practice becomes more and more popular, be sure to know your professionals and visit the ARCSA resource guide to ensure your rainwater system is designed and built to the highest industry standards.