Category Archives: Commercial Rainwater Harvesting

Commercial Rainwater Harvesting, Rainwater Catchment

How Rainwater Collection Protects Water Supplies


A vehicle emits thick white smoke while entering a building.CanRainwater Collection Protect Water Supplies?

As mentioned in Ken Blair’s previous article, rainwater collection for residential and commercial construction helps protect our water supplies by using rainwater for irrigation, toilet facility, and other uses.

For example, the city of Federal Way, WA uses a rainwater collection system for its school maintenance facility. It collects rainwater for washingits school bus fleet, and during the summer, the collected water is used for irrigation.

In Harvesting Nature’s Supply, ARCSA(American Rainwater CatchmentSystems Association) board member, Neal Shapiro writes about a city library using rainwater collection for toilet flushing, Santa Monica’s first municipal building to implement rooftop rainwater harvesting for indoor use.

Shapiro, watershed management program coordinator for the Office of Sustainability and the Environment for the city of Santa Monica, CA, goes on to document the library’s rainwater harvesting system, showinghow rainwater can be collected on site for non-potable use in a commercial setting. This approach promotes the use of “local water resources and local self-sufficiency; reduces dependence on imported potable water, which benefits distant watersheds by keeping more water there; and reduces negative impacts from stormwater, which carries numerous pollutants to Santa Monica Bay”.

To read the full article, published on eStormwater.com, please click here.

Commercial Rainwater Harvesting, Rainwater Catchment

Rainwater Collection Can Be Part of Architectural Design

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Rainwater collection can be part of architectural design, adding distinction to a building, bringing awareness to conservation, and letting others learnabout the responsibility of green building practices.

People preparing a sailboat at a marina dock on a sunny day.Many new commercial construction projects are implementing stormwater management into their architectural designs, rather than simply meeting new regulations. Building designers and owners are showcasing their commitment to conservation, and incorporating functionality with aesthetics, in turn, this practicefurthers customer and general public interest in conservation and rainwater collection, creating even more public awareness of the need for conservation and sustainable living practices.

“Lead by example”, my father used to say, “and it willinspire others to do the same.” Good advice when trying to do the right thing. Seattle and many other cities are recognizing the importance of rainwater collection as a method of controlling stormwater and are seeingthe benefits associated with doing so.

A shiny cylindrical metal sculpture outside a modern building.
Goodwill Building

Other projects that RainBank Rainwater Systems has been involved with include:

  • Sea Scouts building in Galveston, TX (top, left)
  • The Goodwill Building, Seattle, WA (right)
  • Edith Green Federal Building in Portland, OR
  • Federal Way School District, WA
  • Paul Allan’s project, South Lake Union, Seattle
  • Kirkland Safety Building, WA
  • Wallingford Fire Department, Seattle
  • Federal Aviation Building Neah Bay, WA
  • Tacoma School District Tacoma, WA
  • Seattle Arts Academy
  • Puget Sound Energy Seattle
  • Port of Gray’s Harbor, WA
  • Mill Creek Shopping Center, WA
  • Orcas Island School District, WA
  • Fort Lewis (Joint Base Lewis-McChord), WA – and more.

Sea Scouts Base photo courtesy of GuidryNews.com

Commercial Rainwater Harvesting, Rainwater Catchment, Residential Rainwater Collection

Benefits of Rainwater Collection

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Close-up of water droplets on a green leaf with visible veins.Significant, economic, social, andenvironmental benefits can be achieved by collecting, storing, and using rainwater. According to theTexas A&M AgriLlife Extensionand theAmerican Rainwater Catchment Systems Association(ARCSA), rainwater harvesting benefits individuals and communities in many ways:

CONSERVES WATER:Rainwater harvesting provides an alternative water source to well water and public water supplies. About 50 to 70 % of all household water is used for landscape irrigation and other outdoor activities.

CONSERVES ENERGY:Because rainwater harvesting bypasses the centralized water system, it conserves energy. Many household systems require only a small pump to create water pressure in the pipes, and many non potable systems operate by gravity.

PREVENTS FLOODING AND EROSION:Part of the local rainfall is diverted into collection tanks or passive harvesting methods, leaving less storm water to manage. Stormwater problems are turned into water supply assets by slowing runoff and allowing it to soak into the ground.

DECREASES WATER CONTAMINATION:Captured rainwater does not cause immediate runoff. Limiting runoff helps decrease the contamination of surface water by sediments, fertilizers, and pesticides in rainfall runoff.

REDUCES PERSONAL WATER BILLS:Rainwater can be used in landscaping, for toilets, and for washing laundry. With more filtration and treatment, it can be used for cooking and drinking as well.

SUPPLIES NUTRIENTS TO PLANTS:Rainwater often contains nitrogen which provides a slight fertilizing effect for plants.

PROVIDES NATURALLY SOFT WATER:The use of rainwater can significantly reduce the amounts of detergents and soaps needed. It also prevents soap scum, hardness deposits, and the need for water softeners.

Rainwater collection has many advantages over well water, surface water or city water that the homeowner or business can be rewarded with. A well thought out system will provide many years of quality, reliable, safe water.