Category Archives: Rainwater Catchment

Rainwater Catchment, Rainwater Harvesting Education

Seattleites are Singing in the Rain

Transporting Water TankIt’s not just Seattleites that are having rainwater collection systems installed before the end of this long and extensive rainy season. RainBank has been traveling up and down the I-5 corridor from Portland Oregon to Bellingham Washington this winter. Interest in residential rainwater harvesting is seeing an all time high in the region. Water quality concerns, last year’s drought conditions, and the green movement all have consumers looking for alternate water supplies for potable and non potable demands.

Customers are reporting that storage volumes in their water tanks are remaining full, and with expected rainfall amounts to stay high through Spring, Seattleites and others are “singing in the rain”. Commercial interest in rainwater collection also remains high. Many projects, large and small, are choosing to use rainwater for irrigation and toilet flushing and recognizing cost savings. RainBank Rainwater Systems has met this demand by becoming Pinnacle and Contain Water Tank’s Northwest Master Dealer offering dealerships throughout the region.

RainBank Rainwater Systems is the ARCSA Northwest regional representative and offers workshops for education and promotion of rainwater collection. The mission of the American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association (ARCSA) is to “promote sustainable rainwater harvesting practices to help solve potable. non potable, stormwater and energy challenges throughout the world.”

Ken Blair in Sierra Leone, Africa with Bank on Rain
Ken Blair in Sierra Leone, Africa with Bank on Rain

RainBank Rainwater Systems has met this mission statement for years by developing and promoting rainwater collection best practices throughout the Pacific Northwest and abroad as a founding director of Bank on Rain, a non profit organization with a mission statement to establish ecosystems in developing countries.

Interested parties are encouraged to use the form below to contact Ken Blair to arrange an ARCSA workshop.

Rainwater Catchment

Good News For Washington Drought Watchers

flower-768115_640The drought that hit Washington state in 2015 has been nearly eradicated due to heavy rains and snow to ring in 2016. According to the the U.S. Drought Monitor, the south-east corner of the state is still in moderate drought, but with a high percentage of Washington’s water supply coming from snowpack accumulations and which statewide are more than 100 percent of normal for this time of year, most Washingtonians are sitting pretty when it comes to water supplies since forecasts for the April-September runoff period are within the normal range.

What does this mean for the future of water conservation in Washington state?

According to its website, “The Water Supply Availability Committee (WSAC) will continue to meet in 2016 to evaluate current and forecasted water supply conditions and to consider whether drought conditions are likely to be in effect spring and summer.  This web page is provided to track the meeting information for this group.

The 2015 statewide drought declaration expired December 31, 2015.  Forecasts for January thru March 2016 are for warmer, drier conditions as a result of El Niño. Ecology will continue to evaluate conditions and monitor water supplies.”

What does this mean for folks who use water in Washington state?

RainBank had a busy first quarter designing and installing rainwater collection systems in the Puget Sound area and Portland, OR. These were projects where residents and businesses wanted to capture the El Niño driven rains for drinking, irrigation, toilet and/or laundry facilities. Some will use their systems to supplement well or city water, while others are able to go completely off-grid and use rainwater to supply all of their needs.

We don’t have to wait for drought to set our conservation plans in motion. Be proactive and contact RainBank today to learn how you can include rainwater harvesting in your new construction or remodeling project. We work closely with general contractors and architects to design and construct the most efficient, well-constructed system you can find anywhere in the country. We stand by our systems, many of which are still operating after 15 years.

Rainwater Catchment

Rainwater Saves Money in Seattle

statue-5998_640According to a press release issued by Drexel’s College of Engineering, “research by a team of Drexel University environmental engineers indicates that it rains enough in Philadelphia, New York, Seattle and Chicago that if homeowners had a way to collect and store the rain falling on their roofs, they could flush their toilets often without having to use a drop of municipal water.”

Franco Montalto, P.E., PhD, an associate professor in Drexel’s College of Engineering, and director of its Sustainable Water Resource Engineering Lab states, “Philadelphia and Seattle are the two cities where percent water savings would be greatest if residential neighborhoods were all equipped with rainwater harvesting systems.”

RainBank Rainwater Systems has been designing and constructing systems throughout the Pacific Northwest for more than 15 years. Many of our Seattle customers have included rainwater collection as part of new residential construction and retrofitted existing homes. Toilet flushing, laundry facility, and irrigation can all be supplied with non potable rainwater. Whole house usage or potable water can be achieved with proper filtration and disinfection as well.

You don’t need a lot of storage to save money. RainBank Rainwater Systems has designed and installed 3,000 gallon systems that supply an average 2,000 sq. ft. home with 60% of its household use, simply because of the amount of fall and winter rainfall.

Read more from Drexel University Engineering: Here’s Why We Should Use Rainwater to Flush Toilets