I have been with ARCSA from the beginning — 28 years ago. I have held every position in the organization at one time or another — from president to secretary to committee member. For the past 10 years, I have been the Executive Director. I was the president of ARCSA from 2005 to 2007.

I have a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture, Master of Environmental Planning, and a two-year certificate in sustainability. I have worked in land use planning with a specialty in auto mall designs. In that field, dealerships kept pushing for more land to display cars, and as a designer, we had to have detention and retention basins. I looked into ways of putting water under ground and found rainwater harvesting. My master’s thesis ended up being an award-winning book — “Forgotten Rain” — which was later released by a Canadian publisher with the name, “Design for Water.”

After we ran the “Accredited Professional” program for a few years, I really felt that we needed a third-party, closed-book certification to move ARCSA to the next level of professionalism. We were able to work with ASSE to develop the ASSE/ARCSA/IAPMO/ANSI Series 21000, Professional Qualifications Standard for Rainwater Catchment Systems Personnel.

We are a very focused association and only deal with rainwater and stormwater. Right now, we offer designer, installer, and inspector classes for rainwater catchment personnel. Our inspector class also includes stormwater catchment.

I have to quote the ARCSA International Vision Statement:

VISION STATEMENT
ARCSA envisions a world where every person can learn how to conserve water and then harvest, maintain, and beneficially use rainwater and stormwater through the use of a range of safe and effective rain catchment strategies. 

I would like to see more people in control of their own water supply. Nowadays, people have no idea where their water comes from, how it’s treated, or even what goes in it. Utilizing rainwater, and other onsite generated waters, gives people water independence and the freedom and control to maintain their own water supply—and related to potable water—what they are putting into their body. 

We offer workshops where we train people and professionals in all aspects of rainwater harvesting. Those people and professionals then either implement their own systems or use the knowledge in their work. We have additionally teamed up with the Plumbing and Labor Unions to train their instructors so they can train the apprentices going through their classes. Whenever a community requests an educational workshop, we work with local representatives to set one up.  We additionally have a very education heavy website for anyone looking to learn more on rainwater and stormwater catchment.

First, we are part of a group of leading world rainwater harvesting associations that have pledged the following:

• Rainwater harvesting is essential to achieving SDG 6.1 As an Alliance we have committed ourselves to continue to promote rainwater harvesting solutions to those so far left behind. Also, because we realize that without utilization of rainwater for domestic use, for schools and health centers as drinking water, for cooking and personal hygiene, esp. hand washing, the world will not be able to achieve SDG 6.1.
• Rainwater harvesting can help replenish soils and help crops to grow in areas that have been stripped of vegetation due to poor management. On a community level, it can help to slow flood waters and thereby helping to minimize flood damage. Rainwater harvesting can supply water to homes and schools as well as wash stations that do not have clean water supplies. There are many local examples in which rainwater harvesting can help address water scarcity issues. Catching rainwater can supply water to areas that currently have very low water supplies like Native American communities or for people living in areas with high fire risks.  In these areas they can customize a rainwater harvesting system to provide the bottom half of a tank to be used as a reserve to fight fires or even be used as an emergency water supply in case of disaster. Another example would be for people living along the coast dealing with saltwater intrusion. In these areas you cannot build a home because there is no water supply. But with a rainwater system, you can provide your own water supply and therefore build wherever. The same goes for areas where you cannot build because there is no groundwater or very deep or even polluted groundwater. There has also been rising instances in which water supplies are getting contaminated, like East Palestine, Ohio and India for example. By using rainwater as your water source, you are taking away that risk of contamination because the water never reaches the ground. You do have to be aware of what is in the air that the rainwater can pick up as it falls through the sky. Lastly, utilizing rainwater means you are drawing less water from the ground and depleting vital groundwater sources. Which then allows the overall ground water supply to replenish and grow.

What I find most frustrating is getting people to realize what rainwater can do for them. The challenge is trying to educate people to understand the great things we can do. What has been the most rewarding is that over the last 30 years, ARCSA has grown from a small association to a true trade organization.

The process begins with three classes. The first class is for designers. With this class you receive a manual, which is based on ARCSA/ASPE/ANSI Standards 63 and 78, which you must read to pass the class. Next is our installer class. This class is generally done after completing the designer course because you read the contents of the manual and are now educated on the process. Lastly, is the inspector class. This goes over an in-depth checklist, and you learn how to go through an existing system and see if it is put together correctly, making sure it has all the right parts in the right location, and is operating properly. After these courses are completed and you can take one at a time, you are ready to apply for certification through ASSE for one or all the classes you have passed.