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Endless Rain Water Conservation

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Endless Rain is a company that focuses on rain water harvesting, which is the capture, containment and re-use of rain water for residential and commercial applications. Their services are designed to provide a means of securing rainwater for a multitude of reasons including irrigation, swimming pool and pond replenishment, water for livestock or even for cleaning cars and driveways...

Endless Rain provides sustainable alternatives to municipal water sources and to sometimes scarce and often contaminated groundwater options, offering a financial benefit. Gord Szolnyanszky of Endless Rain tells us that the environmental benefits are countless and even include a reduction in erosion and pollutant-laden run-off into our rivers streams and oceans. There are also flood protection benefits to containing rainwater on your property.

The company offers the option to combine their rainwater collection systems with decorative water features, such as ponds, endless waterfalls and bubbling rocks. In order to successfully capture, store and re-use rainwater, the company utilizes a variety of strategies including, gutter protection, leaf filters, first flush units, rainwater storage, water treatment, and water delivery systems.

According to their website, the most popular water feature in recent years has been the Pondless Water Feature. This feature offers the sights and sounds of a tranquil waterfall and stream without the size, maintenance and safety issues of a full pond. The latest incarnation incorporates the principles of rainwater harvesting by enlarging the basin to provide additional water storage. This hybrid allows you to capture and store rainwater in your feature and to re-use it for any non-potable needs.

This past summer, Endless Rain installed a 2,000 gallon rainwater harvesting system for Gail Hunt, a local resident building a new house on approximately one half acre in Lower Gibsons. Hunt told us that she and her husband are incorporating as many environmentally friendly and green construction methods as they can. She said that the project is now complete, although planting still needs to be done. Along with the gorgeous water feature, the practical side of the project is that it will feed the toilets in the house, irrigate her garden and eventually a green roof that is in the works atop a studio separate from the house. According to Szolnyanszky, for this project the rainwater will be collected from the home’s roof and it will run through downspouts and into a first flush filter before it enters a storage tank. He says that any excess water will be sent to an infiltration pit that will allow it to slowly seep back into the ground.

The excavation for the water storage of Hunt’s project was 11’ x 9’ x 5’. This area was lined with a geo textile and a 45mil EPDM rubber liner. Endless Rain used 64 aquablox, modular storage tanks that create a void making water storage possible. Water was circulated through a 30’ decorative waterfall and stream to ensure the captured rainwater keeps from becoming stagnant while at the same time adding an aesthetically pleasing feature to the landscape.

Gail Hunt has a blog that is following the process of building her green house at www.buildinggreenbc.com For information on what Endless Rain can do for you email gord@endlessrain.ca or check their website at www.endlessrain.ca.

Compiled by Linda White France, Editor. The Local Weekly.

No more money down drain
Rainwater fine for plants or washing vehicles

By Pedro Arrais, Times ColonistJuly 29, 2009

Despite a growing population and water restrictions for outdoor watering every summer, municipal water is still inexpensive and abundant. But some homeowners and businesses are looking to the future and have installed rainwater harvesting systems on their properties to lower their water bill as well as dependence on tap water.

Hot and dry summers invariably spur an increase in water demand. Yard and garden irrigation use accounts for 35 per cent of water consumption in the summer. While plants require water to survive, they don't need potable water.

Some homeowners have begun to collect rainwater in plastic rain barrels set against the side of the house. But their size limits their usefulness and some people don't find them esthetically pleasing.

The solution for some is the sub-surface storage of water. Rainfall collected from a roof is funneled to a storage tank buried underground. A pump then draws the water up for use. This untreated, non-potable water can be used to water plants or wash cars. Tank sizes vary, with residential ones starting at 1,900 litres to commercial applications of 12,000 litres.

"I didn't want a couple of barrels laying around the yard," says Darren Johnson of his new house in Bear Mountain. "By burying the tank, nobody would know just by looking around that it's there."

When his new house was completed, he asked his builder not to do any landscaping. He took the money saved and used some of it to pay for the installation of the rain water collection system. He says he chose to go for a rain harvesting system because "it was the opportunity to do something different." The collection is just another component of a number of features of his ecologically-friendly house.

By adding a water circulation system, the water in the tank stays clean due to natural biological filtration. The bubbling rock water feature in his garden circulates 2,000 gallons per hour.

The amount of water collected depends on the size of the collection area. In most cases that would be the roof of the building on the property. A downspout filter captures pollutants before they can enter the tank. A series of mechanical filters remove leaves, twigs, seeds and sediment that usually accumulate on a roof between rainfalls.

In periods of sustained dry weather, municipal water is piped in automatically to maintain a minimum level in the tank.

There are also strong links between soil conservation and water conservation measures. Rainwater capture helps reduce surface runoff and erosion. The reduction of runoff increases water infiltration into the soil and allows the aquifer to recharge. The water trapped eases the load on the local storm water system.

Some modern tanks are capable of supporting an average-sized car, making their location under a driveway possible. The 12,000-litre storage tank in the recently completed Union of B.C. Municipalities building in James Bay is located in an area where a vehicle would usually be parked. With readily accessible manhole covers, the contents can be a source of water in case of fire.

Because of the collection system, the UBCM building is not connected to the city storm drain.

Self-sufficiency fosters an appreciation of water as a resource.

"So much of the water that falls is gone. While it's free, people need to do their part and keep it from the storm drain," says Gord Szolnyanzky, one of the founders of Endless Rain, a company that specializes in water harvesting systems. "If not, you just get to buy it back from the city."

His rainwater collection systems start at about $5,000. The units are modular so capacity can be increased easily. There is no size limit. The 1,900-litre tank takes up a nine square metre space.

Johnson admits the cost of the collection system might be considerably more than a few rain barrels, but he defends his choice as an environmentally friendly and easy approach to mitigate the effects of dry summers.

parrais@tc.canwest.com

HOW CISTERNS OUTPERFORM WELLS

Rainwater harvesting is usually superior to well water:

- Wells need to be drilled into the ground -- up to 90 metres, in some cases -- to tap into existing water sources.

- Drilling is expensive and results are not guaranteed.

- Success depends on the gradient and topography of area.

- In some areas the water table is now lower as demand for water increases.

- In some areas, wells are not recommended because the aquifer is at risk of saltwater intrusion.

- Well water can also be too hard or laden with minerals.