HarvestH2O.com :: Regulations

REGULATIONS & STATUES

Recent Updates:

7/25 - Sterling Ranch to be 1st Colorado rainwater harvesting site
7/1 - Austin increases rebates on cisterns to $5,000
6/23 - CA American Water and the Monterey Peninsula Water
Management District begin offering rebates
6/21 - Safety of RWH in NYC Published
3/23 -International Green Plumbing Code out for Public Comment
3/23 GA tax credit of $2,500 for water efficiency projects
3/10 - IL bill turns rainwater into toilet water
3/6 - IL progress continues on RWH bill
3/4 - UT RWH passed bill, awaits signing
2/15 - IL has registered a rainwater harvesting bill
1/15 - UT has registered a rainwater harvesting bill
1/4 - Virginia Stormwater Best Practices
12/22 -Added Ohio cistern requirements
11/22 - Santa Fe publishes RWH permitting checklist
11/22 - New Mexico publishes RWH Manual
10/ 7 - WA allows RWH
10/ 4 - Added City of Seattle information
9/ 2 - CA adopts new Construction Permit process to Reduce Pollution, Conserve Precious Water
9/ 1 - CA passes new graywater code
8/27 - ARCSA and American Society of Plumbing Engineers - Rainwater Catchment Design and Installation Standards (see below)
7/15 - FL Keys implements rebate program
5/31 - IL SB0032 includes RWH
5/27 - NC 1385 provides tax credit
5/21 - Texas bill dies in Senate
5/ 1 - CO allows limited RWH, changes 120 year old law
4/29 - Oregon Smart Guide - Rainwater Harvesting
4/25 - California proposing Rebates for RWH systems
2/20 - North Carolina Rebate program implemented

Rainwater Harvesting is exploding and so are the cities, states and other entities involvement with it. Below is a state by state listing of past and current efforts dealing with rainwater and greywater.

This list is changing monthly. If you find something that needs to be added to this listing, please email it to me and I will add it and add a mention of it on the front page.

The American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association (ARCSA) and the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) have agreed upon a standard for inclusion in a new sustainable plumbing standard planned for 2009. This ARCSA standards guide is also available to cities and planning agencies as a standard for local adoption. This document contains specifications for each system component and example diagrams. It is also an excellent guide for those intererested in designing and installing rainwater catchment systems. ARCSA/ASPE Guidelines

Still there is much confusion about what harvested rainwater really is. Some US jurisdictions consider it reclaimed water and others refer to it as “graywater.” Actually it is neither. Definitions from the Universal Plumbing Code (UPC) are below.

According to Bob Boulware, P.E., President of Design-Aire Engineering, Inc, Board member and Chair of the committee for ARCSA that is driving these guidelines, the United Nations and countries around the globe are concerned that in the next 10 to 15 years, competition from the increase in the world’s population, along with increased pollution of existing water supplies, will put such a demand on the world’s available fresh water that instability of world governments may occur. This also means that a child starting school today, by the time he graduates from high school, will have trouble finding a clean glass of drinking water. By promoting and developing design and installation guidelines with others in the water industry now, we aim to provide at least a partial solution to this impending crisis. The knowledge and skill of how to find and manage clean water will be vital information for future generations to know in order to sustain the lifestyle we have today.

With the growth of rainwater harvesting there is a definite need for leadership and direction. Conflicting code and certifications will only hamper growth and adoption. The good news, as is visible below in the state-by-state listing; states, counties and cities are getting involved. The bad news lots of uncoordinated activities and directions. Hopefully ARCSA will bring some order to this area and thereby hasten growth in the industry.

Black Water is toilet waste.

Graywater is untreated waste water that has not come in contact with toilet waste. Graywater includes used water from bathtubs, showers, lavatories and water from clothes washing machines. It does not include waste water from kitchen sinks or dishwashers.

Reclaimed Water is water which, as a result of tertiary treatment of domestic waste water by a public agency, is suitable for a controlled use. The controlled use can be the supply of reclaimed water to water closets, urinals and trap seal primers for floor drains and floor sinks. In areas under the jurisdiction of the UPC this system is usually called a “purple pipe” system because the reclaimed water is conveyed in pipe that is purple in color.

Harvested Rainwater is storm water that is conveyed from a building roof, stored in a cistern and disinfected and filtered before being used for toilet flushing. It can also be used for landscape irrigation.

Appendix J of the UPC deals with reclaimed water, but according to the above definition, rainwater harvesting is not reclaimed water. Plumbing officials that do not know how to classify rainwater harvesting systems consider it reclaimed water systems and therefore require plumbing engineers to design systems that conform to Appendix J of the UPC. This is due to the lack of guidance in the code. As rainwater catchment systems are becoming more prevalent in the United States, both the UPC and the IPC need a section dedicated to rainwater harvesting.

Below is a list of currently known regulations. If you find updated or new regulations, please send them to Doug at HarvestH2o.com so others will benefit from your findings.

International Guidelines Other Informational Links

American Rainwater Catchment Systems Assoication (ARCSA) / ASPE Guidelines

EPA Municipal Handbook Rainwater Harvesting Policies

Recent article on the State of Regulations in the US

Currently there is no US agency that has focus on Rainwater Harvesting and states are rapidly doing there own thing. Below is a list of the actions by individual states. Over time the federal government will get more and more involved as water conflicts and shortages continue to occur. One bill that moves in this direction is HR3598 that mandates consideration of water intensity in the Department of Energy's energy research, development, and demonstration programs to help guarantee efficient, reliable, and sustainable delivery of energy and water resources.

| US Virgin Islands

Alabama - Vendor Directory

Statues: No known statues or laws.

Taxes: No known tax incentives

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