All posts by RainBankAdmin

Rainwater Catchment, Sustainability

Is Rain Collection a Trend?

garden-617272_640The rise of the rain collectors may sound like a scary Halloween prank, but it’s a trend not to be ignored.

According to a recent article published on Earth911, more and more folks, from millennials to baby boomers, are learning how, and then capturing the rain, to mitigate higher water bills and help in conservation efforts, largely due to drought, but also associated to aging infrastructure.

Do you know that by capturing one inch of rainfall from the roof of a 1,000 square foot home, it means you could save up to 312 gallons of water (or what amounts to almost eight, 40-gallon baths).

If you want to know how much rainwater you might collect from your roof runoff, browse to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) rainfall calculator, which can estimate rainfall in areas from a couple square feet to several square miles.

Rainwater collection isn’t only for the home gardener.

Businesses are using collected rainwater for washing vehicles and toilet flushing facilities. Schools are collecting rainwater for community gardens and new multi-family construction could collect rainwater for potable use for tenants or homeowners.

As rain collection trends, it can create a confusing frontier of information and solicitations.

If you decide to have a system professionally installed, we encourage you to know whether or  not your chosen contractor has the accreditation and experience needed for a properly installed, potable or non-potable system. Visit ARCSA (The American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association) to search for a designer and installer with the knowledge and experience to meet your needs.

Sustainability

Workers and Markets Follow the Water

sedge-628370_640The lack of water caused by the California drought affects our food supply in more ways than just the ability to grow crops. It has had deep impact on the workers in this industry and the businesses that employ them. When the cost of water for a 10-acre farm parcel goes from $3,200 to $33,000 in one year, you’ve got a business problem. In 2013, the California agriculture industry employed about 349,000 people.

Currently, the San Joaquin valley is considered the salad bowl of the country. It provides one third of the fruit, nuts and produce we consume in the U.S. With more than 10 years of drought tendency, water has become so scarce and so expensive, landowners are considering what to do next. If the predicted El Nino doesn’t do enough to alleviate the drought situation, workers may have to leave California to follow the water to Washington State. Idaho or Oregon.

Farmers are also learning to become more adaptable and are learning about foreign markets – to maximize their investment in crops by exporting to other countries. China, a large importer of American produce, has become a factor in which crops live or die, because farmers need to consider how to squeeze the most profit out of their products.

“The overseas market is extremely important,” says Jesus Ramos, a farmer who owns 140 acres of mostly citrus trees in Terra Bella in Tulare County. “That dictates whether you can keep a crop going or not.”

California wasteland: Drought-sick farmers hope for relief

California has been experiencing drought conditions since 1999. The lack of rainfall and snowpack in the recent years has pushed farmers in the Central Valley to the edge. Farmers spend millions of their own savings to purchase emergency water to save crops, hoping the coming winter will bring rain to relieve the situation.

Read more at CNBC, How China is Changing Your Dinner Plate.

Environment, Rainwater Catchment

Will El Nino Bring Drought Relief?

downpour-61916_640California may think it’ll finally see some relief from the extreme drought that has gripped the region for several years because this year’s El Nino is predicted to be massive, bringing heavy rains – and with that the potential of mudslides and flooding in southern California.

CBS/AP reports: “Weather models this year show a 60 percent chance of above-average rainfall in Southern California, but that figure declines farther north…”

There’s a downside. Northern portions of California and parts of Nevada are only looking at between a 50% chance, down to 33% as you head north. Unfortunately, most of the state’s reservoirs are located in the northern portion of California, meaning heavy rains in southern California won’t do much to alleviate drought conditions as its infrastructure is designed to channel rainwater away from homes to prevent flooding – and water is washed out to sea.

The Pacific Northwest is expected to continue being very dry and drought conditions will persist mostly due to warm weather causing reduced snowpack across much of the Cascades Range and Olympic Mountains in Washington. So, while residents and businesses are being diligent about reducing water usage, there is certainly more that can be done on a municipal, county, federal and individual level.

Ben Franklin

“When the well is dry we know the value of water”, Benjamin Franklin