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Originally posted as "Couple harvest rain for drinking, savings -

Ole and Maitri Ersson are first in Portland to get a permit to transform rainwater into household use"

February 16, 2000 by Jason George, The Oregonian

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Ole and Maitri Ersson have taken the one thing most Oregonians would say they have a surplus of -- rain -- and started using it to their advantage.

The Erssons are the first people in the city to receive a permit to "rainwater harvest," or collect rain and use it in their house as a water source. Jed Scheuermann, senior plumbing inspector for the city, said harvesting systems for gardens are quite common and require no permit. But approved systems for household use have been nonexistent in Portland.

With the Erssons' success and more people becoming concerned about water quality, Scheuermann said he thinks more households may try to develop rain systems. And now, after getting accustomed to harvesting, the Erssons say the system is so economical and easy that residents who fret when they see their water bill should think about installing one.

"This is nothing new, it is technology of 40 and 50 years ago," Ole Ersson said.

In short, the rainwater that falls on the couple's Southeast Portland home is transported by storm drains to a 1,500-gallon barrel. Then the water is sanitized, pumped into the house and ready to be used just like city water. The assemblage collects about 750 gallons, half the tank, every time it rains an inch. All parts and pieces cost about $1,500 and were purchased at farm supply and hardware stores, Maitri Ersson said.

Curious residents have been calling Portland officials about rainwater harvesting systems for months, Scheuermann said. And as people become more aware that water is a nonrenewable resource and water bills climb higher and higher, they are beginning to examine alternative methods of daily living. "We are at a dawning of a new era," he said.

Portland Mayor Vera Katz said she, too, is excited by the Erssons' system and plans on visiting the house to learn more about rainwater harvesting. "It is a great idea," she said.

But it was not an overnight decision for the Erssons -- he is a doctor and she is a homemaker -- to start drinking their rainwater. "It was something we considered for a long time," Ole Ersson said. To make the project a reality, it took inventiveness from both the city plumbing inspectors and the Erssons. When they presented the idea to the city, officials expressed two major concerns. First, would the water be safe to drink?

This was settled when the couple agreed to self-test the water twice a year, at a cost of $18 per test. The system keeps the water purified with a set of two microbial filters and an ultraviolet light sterilizer. The filters remove certain bacteria while the sterilizer disables the remaining bacteria from reproducing. The barrel is also cleaned once a year with bleach. So far, the results have been cleaner than city water, Ole Ersson said.

The next question was, could the Erssons' harvesting possibly damage the city's water system? When a large amount of water gets used on your street -- by a fire truck, for example -- water in your pipes can be drawn out of your house to compensate for the high usage. And though you don't get charged for it -- water meters also run backward -- the water that was in your house at one time could potentially come out of someone else's faucet.

The Erssons solved that problem by installing a "reduced pressure backflow prevention device," essentially removing their house from the city water pool. The city would not require the device if the Erssons used rainwater exclusively, but since the summers are relatively dry, they depend on city water during those months.

Nominal maintenance costs for the harvesting include replacing filters, the UV bulbs and water testing. But for the couple, there is no doubt it is worth it.

The Erssons have met other Portland-area residents who have similar systems for their toilets, washing machines and showers. None of these people have permits because they do not want to "deal with the bureaucrats," Ole Ersson said. Scheuermann confirmed that some of his inspectors have found similar systems on residential inspections.

But the reason the Erssons got their permit and maintain their Web page, Maitri Ersson said, is to show people that the city was willing to work with interested parties. Besides, nothing is sweeter justice for the rebel spirit than being in compliance and at the same time not owing the city money.

With a smile, Ole Ersson recounts getting the water bill after using the system for the first winter. "We had used so little water that the meter didn't even register it."

Originally posted as "Savings From A Rainy Day by  Ruth Mullen"

July 24, 2003 by Ruth Mullen, The Oregonian

Not many Portland families can honestly say they hope for rain. But Ole and Maitri Ersson do. “Every time it rains, we get a thrill,” Ole says.

 

For almost seven years, the Southeast Portland couple and their three teenagers have showered, flushed, laundered, cooked, irrigated and, yes, even sipped the 29,000 gallons of rainwater they capture from their 1,200-square-foot rooftop each year.

 

They are Portland’s pioneers of rainwater harvesting. And thanks to their ingenuity and foresight, they helped set the standard for city-approved rainwater-catchment systems. The couple received the city’s first permit for rainwater harvesting in 1998, after a prolonged permitting process. Thanks to them, there’s now a code guide for us all. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” says Ole, 48.

 

In fact, rainwater harvesting is far from new. It’s standard practice in many parts of the world, including a flourishing community of raincatchers in thirsty Austin, Texas.

 

“It’s just common-sense stuff,” Ole says. “And it’s not really high tech.”

 

Granted, Ole is a family physician with a head for science, but he insists his $1,500 system is relatively easy to install and maintain. Many parts can be purchased at a hardware store, while others, such as a 3000-gallon cistern, can be found at a farm-supply store. Because of their sheer size, tanks can be buried underground, but the Ersson’s sits behind their house as part of their garden.

 

From September through June, the family relies almost entirely on rainwater for household use. Portland receives between 3 and 4 feet of rain annually, and for every inch of rain the Erssons collect, 750 gallons of water is transported by storm drains into their 1,500-gallon cistern.

 

As a rule, the Erssons take only five-minute showers (except for their three teens, who have been known to linger) and use a highly efficient, front-loading clothes washer. As a result, their household water consumption is about 2,500 gallons a month for a family of five, well below the city average of 5,500 gallons for a household of just over two people.

 

Come June, the Erssons simply flip a switch that hooks them back into the city water system to get through Portland’s dry summers.

 

“Water is a renewable and sustainable resource in Oregon,” Ole says. “People should take advantage of it.”

 

But most of us don’t. And as the city grows, so will the demand for water. “We don’t question growth,” says Mike O’Brien, of Portland’s Office of Sustainable Development. “We just deliver the water.”

 

Rising household water bills, sewer and storm runoff into the Willamette River, and a proposed multimillion-dollar water-treatment plant are just a few of the issues confronting Portland ratepayers. The city is under a court order to reduce the amount of raw sewage that flows into its rivers by 2011. As a result, sewer bills have risen dramatically to pay for $1 billion in repairs to the city’s combined sewer system.

 

“It’s just going to get more expensive,” says Jim Doane, retired principal engineer for the Portland Water Bureau and a commissioner for the Tualatin Valley Water District. “Everybody has to do their part.”

 

Many, in fact, are eager to. According to Doane, more than half of Portland’s single-family homeowners let their lawns go dry and brown in summer. Further proof that conservation is anything but an afterthought here.

 

“There’s a culture in Portland we haven’t seen anywhere else,” Doane says. “People here will do the right thing, and they don’t need a lot of prodding to do it.”

 

But much more could be done.

 

Since they installed their system in 1996, the Erssons have inspired a small trend among local green-building advocates. According to the Office of Sustainable Development, about a dozen or so homeowners have installed similar systems to irrigate their gardens and even flush their toilets.

 

But very few have gone completely off city water. This requires a lot more bureaucratic hassle. That’s because city plumbing inspectors are understandably skittish about water-quality issues. They want to make sure households are vigilant about maintaining a potable water supply.

 

Those who collect rainwater for drinking and showering must test their water twice a year and keep their microbial filters and ultraviolet-light sterilizers in top working order. Rain gutters and storage tanks must also be cleaned periodically.

 

Sure, it’s more work, but the Erssons say the extra effort is well worth it. For one, rainwater tastes much better than city water—there’s no chlorine aftertaste. Plus, there’s no need for hair conditioners or fabric softeners—rainwater is free of salts and minerals. And not paying a city water bill nine months of the year is certainly a bonus. Besides, “people should know what it feels like to take a shower in rainwater,” says Maitri, 53.

 

By setting an example, the Erssons are pushing us all to become more responsible stewards of the earth, even as they enjoy its bounty.

 

“Water is becoming the critical resource of the 21st century,” Ole says. “But we just take it for granted in Oregon.”

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