Category Archives: Sustainability

Rainwater Catchment, Sustainability

Is Our Planet Running Out of Water?


Two children drinking water from a park fountain on a sunny day.The Washington Post, using NASA data, is reporting that the planet is indeed running out of water at rates that are frightening.

According to NASA satellite data, on a worldwide basis, morefresh water is being taken out of aquifers than is going into them. This means that our planet’s water supply has hit levels that are not sustainable in the long-term.

“The situation is quite critical,” said Jay Famiglietti, senior water scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California and principal investigator of the University of California Irvine-led studies.

Of course, the California drought makes matters much worse, as it’s being reported that 60% of current water use there comes from aquifers – and that rate is expected to increase by the end of the year.

Read more from the Washington Post and see the NASA satellite datafor yourself.

Do you know that RainBank is a RWCleader in the Pacific Northwest? To learn more about Rainwater Collection Systems, you can also visit ARCSA (American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association).

Infrastructure, Rainwater Catchment, Sustainability

Rainwater Harvesting in Urban Areas


Sculpture of a hippopotamus with a manhole cover as its shell on a tiled pavement.With so many citizens living in urban areas, cities must approach rainwater harvesting differently than in rural areas, where rain is absorbed into the ground or evaporates.

When it rains in an urban area, rainwater becomes runoff via streets, rooftops and parking lots. Runoff is captured in drains from which it travels via the sewer system, eventually winding up in a lake, creek, or other body of water. Since stormwater is typically released without any pollution management, it can become contaminated with bacteria, heavy metals, nutrients and particulates. So, in the city, water that replenishes our aquifers may have become tainted.

According to Jennifer Drake, Assistant Professorof Civil Engineering at University of Toronto, “Under natural conditions, aquifers are sustained through the infiltration of clean rainwater and streamwater into the ground. But for urban environments, these sources are cut off by the impervious landscapes. Instead, water from leaky sewers, water mains, septic tanks and landscape irrigation becomes the source for groundwater recharge. Since many of these sources are wastewater, they’repoor-qualitysources and can lead to groundwater contamination.”

Low Impact Development (LID) includes stormwater management tecniquesthat allow urban runoff to seep into the ground and evapotranspire into the air. Sustainability systems are built into green roofs (like rooftop gardens), rain gardens (on ground level), which allow stormwater to soak directly into the earth and runoff is naturally filtered by soil as it goes back into the ground and replenishes aquifers.

Read more about Stormwater innovations mean cities don’t just flush rainwater down thedrain. The article was also republished via ARCSA.

Rainwater Harvesting Education, Sustainability

California Gets Proactive About Drought


El Capitan rock formation towering over pine trees in Yosemite.Finally, some great news about the California drought!

A recent releasefrom the California State Water Board (also shared by ARCSA) announced a $30 million grant to be awarded to30 school districts for education onstormwater capture and conservation.

The drought response outreach program (DROPS) for schools was established by the California State Water Board and will include on campus rainwater collection systems, bio swales,water wise landscaping along with education of conservation.

Education, including hands on experience, will help students understand the importance of conservation and how to plan fortomorrow. California Governor Brown and the State Water Board clearly understand that the time is now to do something about future water availability. Proactive response to a 4 year drought has been implemented. Let’s hope other states, including Washington State, take notice and follow with their own programs.