Infrastructure, Rainwater Catchment

Is Seattle Implementing Rainwater Collection in Stormwater Management Program?

Is Seattle implementing Rainwater Collection as part of its Stormwater Management Program (SWMP)?

Rainwater Harvesting Lets Seattle Area Residents Opt Out of City WaterSWMP applies to the municipal separate storm sewers owned and operated by the city. SWMP address the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) and is permitted by ecology. Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) is the lead city department responsible for implementing permit coordination in SWMP.

“The City of Seattle is required to develop, implement and enforce a program to prevent and control the impact of stormwater runoff from new development, redevelopment and construction site activities.” (SWMP Jan. 2015)

Part of the “minimum performance requirements” of SWMP is to “incorporate and require Low Impact Development (LID) principles and its Best Management Practices (BMPs).” The Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) is part of the stormwater code and requires that any new construction, commercial or residential, infiltrate runoff. SPU’s “Rainwise Program” offers education to the general public on infiltration of stormwater and rebates of implementation as long as requirements are met.

The city of Seattle Health Department allows rainwater collection for non-potable and potable use.

Unfortunately SWMP does very little to encourage rainwater collection, even though it is promoted by Ecology. The Rainwise Program addresses infiltration, not use of a rainwater system, while rainwater collection and its use offers more advantages than simply infiltrating. The use of collected rainwater for toilet flushing, laundry, and when properly filtered and disinfected, potable use, not only helps mitigate roof runoff, but helps supplement our water supplies.

The demands of our water supplies nationwide are becoming strained and will continue as population growth continues. Costs of expanding and upgrading current water infrastructure will cost billions locally in the next 20 years, while a more proactive approach of a supplemental, decentralized water system addresses both issues of stormwater and water demands while keeping costs down.

While Seattle is addressing stormwater runoff, they are missing the boat on rainwater collection promotion. More information and comments to Seattle City Council links are provided below.

For More Information

Residential Rainwater Collection, Sustainability

Who Owns the Clouds?

storm-730653_640Scenario: you finally come to the awareness that collecting rainwater is a good way to conserve well or city water and a sustainable way to water your garden. So, you set up a barrel to capture rain for use in plant watering. Great idea – right? Wrong. If you live in Colorado, where someone else owns the clouds, you might just be an outlaw!

An excerpt from a New York Times article, A Thirsty Colorado Is Battling Over Who Owns Raindrops, states: “When Jason Story bought an old soy sauce barrel to collect the rain dripping from his downspout, he figured he had found an environmentally friendly way to water his garden’s beets and spinach. But under the quirks of Western water rules, where raindrops are claimed even as they tumble from the sky, he became a water outlaw.”

While water supply has always been limited in the Western US, it’s an even more precious commodity now, as marathon drought has plagued the region for years.

Sustainability has become a wide-reaching message, as individuals and businesses seek ways to conserve water – for without it, we couldn’t survive. However, in Colorado, collecting rain in a barrel, for your own use, is pretty much illegal due to ancient laws that create a system of water rights – meaning it’s not yours – you can’t have it – even if it falls from the clouds onto your own property, because someone else has already claimed it.

Some lawmakers saw this as an antiquated rule and, in the spring of 2015 attempted to make a change, allowing homeowners to collect rainwater on their own properties. But, some with their own personal and commercial interests, stepped in to squash it – one legislator categorized personal rainwater collection as “stealing”.

So far, the law, which could generate fines of up to $500 to an individual, has been largely unenforced. The question is, as rainwater collection becomes more popular in the mainstream, what will happen if more folks in Colorado choose to harvest rain?

Rainwater Catchment, Residential Rainwater Collection

Can I Collect Drinking Water From My Roof in Seattle?

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seattle-skylineDoes Seattle allow rainwater collected from the roof to be used for drinking water?

You can have a potable rainwater collection system designed by an engineer, licensed in the state of Washington with experience in RWC, or an ARCSA (American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association) accredited professional. Knowledge and experience are required for potable design in King County. A properly designed filtration and disinfection system can provide quality drinking water. It is the designer and installer’s responsibility to ensure that an adequate system is in place and correctly installed.

After system install has been completed, it is up to the owner or operator to maintain the system to protect users from possible contaminants. Sampling and testing are essential to ensure the system is performing as designed. It is recommended that filtered, disinfected rainwater should be tested annually.

A typical filtration/ disinfection system consists of a sediment filter, activated carbon, and ultra violet light and is adequate for achieving potable standards. Adding a 1-micron absolute sediment filter before the UV adds a higher level of endurance of cyst removal. Other possible contaminants can be identified by testing “raw water” before the filtration train and then can be removed by additional filtration.  The last device should be an ultra violet light, which must carry a “class A” rating.

Quality drinking water is possible with rainwater collection and is legal in many counties in Washington State, including Seattle. Many are finding the alternative appealing to municipal water supplies, while also helping to reduce stormwater runoff. Seattle Public Health encourages the practice of rainwater collection, as does Washington State Department of Ecology.

Rainwater Systems