Tag Archives: potable

Environment, Potable, Residential Rainwater Collection, Sustainability

El Nino Affects Snowpack and Water Supplies

cascades_amo_2015123Forecasts indicate that the El Nino weather pattern is expected to continue bringing wetter, warmer forecasts for the winter, and continued dryer weather for next summer for the west coast. It is expected that we will see the same weather this next year as we did this year. Less snowpack in the Cascades will mean once again a limited amount of water for municipal water supplies. A warmer and wetter winter will fill reservoirs, but Seattle’s experience this year showed that without that snowpack to replenish stored levels, supplies fall short as summer stretches on. Many small water districts in the Pacific Northwest found themselves running extremely low, while Seattle Public Utilities is continuing to ask its customers to scale back usage.

There has been an increase in interest in rainwater collection for single-family residences in Seattle and other areas of Western Washington this summer for potable and non-potable systems. Non-potable systems are being sought primarily for irrigation, but the real increase is in whole house potable demand. As our population in the Seattle area has increased dramatically and drier conditions in the summer are causing higher demands, many are preparing in advance for next summer.

A well-designed and installed rainwater catchment system can provide water to a single-family household year-round or supplement city water use during the summer. A non-potable system can ease the demand on city water by using collected rainwater for irrigation during those dry periods. Many of RainBank’s customers are commenting once again “that this is the right thing to do” – a message that I used to hear often before the recession. Folks want to do the right thing for the environment regardless of a crisis.

We must take population growth and protection of our natural resources seriously. Water is the one thing we cannot do without.

Infrastructure, Sustainability

More Cuts to Seattle Water Usage

Seattle area consumers were asked to cut water usage another 10% after a 25% voluntary reduction was met last month.

According to the Seattle Times, “If conditions worsen, officials for each water system will decide whether to move to a third stage of shortage planning: requiring customers to cut their water use.”  

RainBank customers have benefitted from this past weekend’s rainfall by collecting the rain. A RainBank customer who had a 15,000 gallon irrigation system installed 4 years ago just wrote an email to us saying he just ran out of water last week. With a 3,000 sq. ft. roof and a 2″ rainfall over the weekend, this consumer and his family are right back to having 3,738 gallons – just like that.  A new customer in Bellevue with 2,000 sq. ft. of roof just collected his first 2,492 gallons from this weekend’s rainfall and is on the way to filling a 12,000 gallon storage tank that will be used for toilet flushing, laundry facility, and irrigation.

Customers on Vashon Island have reported that their tanks were just about empty and now they have enough water for another month. Customers all over the Puget Sound region who have had rainwater collection systems installed by RainBank Rainwater Systems are “singing in the rain”.

Whether you want rainwater collection for irrigation, toilet flushing, laundry facility, wash down, or whole household potable use, there is a system design that will fit your needs. RainBank Rainwater Systems has installed more rainwater storage systems than any other in Washington State. With 15 years’ experience, RainBank has the expertise to get the job done right. RainBank’s personnel are ARCSA accredited, which requires ongoing, continuing education. RainBank is a progressive, full service company offering design, construction, and maintenance of the systems we install.

The outlook for next summer is much the same as this summer. With population growth, failing infrastructure, and more demand on our local water supplies, you can count on shortages again. Wildfires will pose a threat again next summer in Eastern Washington. Being ready to meet these challenges with stored water may just save your home.

RainBank Rainwater Systems builds CorGal steel water tanks in all sizes for residential and commercial applications. RainBank also installs above ground and below ground poly water tanks for potable and non potable use. Some customers have rainwater collection as their sole source of water including the first sole source for a single family residence in Skagit County.

Contact us, or give us a call at 360-298-4719. We will help meet your water storage needs.

Rainwater Catchment, Rainwater Harvesting Education

When Will Your County Adopt Rainwater Collection for Potable Use? 

LowWaterPuyallupRiver potableSnohomish County has over 1,000 water districts that are close to drying up, which ramps up the need to purchase potable water from the city of Everett.  Spada Lake is dangerously low, which jeopardizes water availability for fighting fires

Pierce County faces a similar issue – small water districts are running out of supply, forcing the potential for needing to purchase water from the city of Tacoma. The Center for Urban Waters, led by the University of Washington Tacoma, promotes rainwater collection, while some of the districts are not fully supportive of the concept.

Is it time for both of these counties to adopt RWC for potable use?

Snohomish County is surrounded by other counties that have expanded RWC to include potable usage. These counties recognize that potable use of rainwater for single-family dwellings is not a threat to public safety or to the revenue of their water districts. King, Skagit, Whatcom, San Juan, Jefferson, and Island counties all accept the benefits of potable RWC for single-family dwellings.

RainBank Rainwater Systems along with support from the American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association (ARCSA) will continue to educate these two counties as well as others by offering seminars, workshops, and general discussion on the benefits of RWC to motivate them to allow potable usage of rainwater.

Please watch the recently aired KIRO News report about small water districts that are running out of water.

Photo courtesy of King.