Seattle residents want their rainwater catchment systems to make a positive impact on the environment, as well as the quality of their water and rely on professionals to design and install their systems to meet these requirements.
An ARCSA accredited professional, ARCSA lifetime member, and ARCSA regional representative, RainBank’s founder and president Ken Blair has been designing and installing rainwater systems for residential potable usage since 2004.
Ken started his business in the San Juan Islands when it was the only county in the state that had an exception to the water rights law. 100 % of the systems RainBank installed in the San Juans were for potable usage because of salt water intrusion or low producing wells.
Ken moved operations to the Seattle area in 2010, shortly after the statewide change in the law allowing rainwater collection throughout the state, and has met the challenge of design and installation that works within the urban environment. Click here for more info on Seattle rainwater.
Whole house usage requires enough storage to be a viable sustainable system. Buried tanks and slim line tanks make storage requirements possible in restricted areas.
A non potable system used for toilet flushing and laundry facility requiring little space for storage can be designed to supplement city water. As much as 49% mitigation of city water usage can be achieved when used with dual flush toilets and water saving washing machines.
For potable or non potable use, a rainwater catchment system must be safe, reliable, and easy to maintain for the customer. Rainwater collection system designs for household usage, potable and non potable are regulated by King County Health Department General Department Policies and Procedures for Rainwater Harvesting: before permitting is awarded. Storage, conveyance, filtration and disinfection must be designed and installed in accordance with plumbing codes for public safety. “Rain water systems that are intended for potable uses must include plans prepared by a licensed professional engineer licensed to practice in Washington AND who is experienced in designing drinking water systems, a group B water system designer licensed by Public Health holding a valid certificate OR accreditation issued by American Water Catchment System Association.”
We all are aware of the commercial building boom in Seattle. With larger roof areas and increased demand on our centralized water systems, many projects are turning to rainwater harvesting to meet the new requirements of retention of runoff water on site. Irrigation, toilet flushing, and wash down systems are being designed with rainwater collection being the source of water as a practical use of this runoff.
RainBank Rainwater Systems meet these projects needs with the most experience in metal tank construction and consulting in design in the Seattle area.
Ken is a United States Navy veteran, having served on active duty during the Vietnam War era.
A career entrepreneur, Ken created a new business focus with a commercial dive company in Hawaii in the mid 1980′s to respond to and clean up oil spills, oil spill equipment training, service and maintenance for the oil co-op service industry. Ken is passionate about having a positive impact on the environment and is also a founding director of BANK-ON-RAIN (2011-2014), whose mission is to create grassroots solutions for rainwater collection for consumption and agriculture in developing areas of the planet.