Peak Oil Task Force Report - City of Bloomington - State of Indiana

The City can do much to encourage and increase
rainwater capture for use on lawns and gardens.
Following the lead of other communities, the City
should:
• Provide rain barrels to community members
at a reduced cost, much the way it did when it
offered compost bins at a reduced rate (in
cooperation with the Center for Sustainable
Living). It is estimated that a 55 gallon rain
barrel can save approximately 1,300 gallons of
water in peak summer months; 73
• Implement a rain barrel rebate program; 74
• Require greywater and roofwater catchment
for new development as part of the City’s
Unified Development Ordinance (UDO).
Currently, the UDO provides incentives for the
use of greywater, but does not require it. 75
The City might look to Tucson, Arizona – the
first city in the US to require rainwater
harvesting for landscaping use. In Tucson, effective June 1, 2010, 50% of a
commercial property’s irrigation water must be supplied from rainwater. In
addition to cisterns, the regulations allow berms and contoured slopes to be used to
direct rainwater to trees and landscaped areas; 76
• Require bio‐swales and/or permeable paving for any new development; and
• The City should lead by example by installing cisterns and rain barrels to provide for
its own landscaping needs.
73 U.S. E.P.A., What is a Rain Barrel? http://www.epa.gov/Region3/p2/what‐is‐rainbarrel.pdf
74 For example, see the cistern rebate program offered by James, Virginia
http://www.bewatersmart.org/RebatePrograms/rainbarrelrebateprogram/FAQ.html#rainbarrel
75 §20.05.049, Bloomington Municipal Code. http://bloomington.in.gov/green‐building‐incentives
76 http://www.ci.tucson.az.us/agdocs/20081014/oct14‐08‐564a.pdf
Report of the Bloomington Peak Oil Task Force
Commercially sized cistern at the Chicago Center for
Green Technology. Source: Abby Hall, EPA.
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