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Builder outlines 3,000‑gallon home rainwater catchment system to Mosier council
Summary
Andrew McWilliams of Green Home Design/Build described a 3,000‑gallon residential rainwater catchment and filtration system that uses a metal roof for collection and requires a 17' x 10' x 8' excavation; permitting is handled through MCCOG. The Watershed Council warned aquifer recharge requires locations outside the city's fault zone.
Andrew McWilliams of Green Home Design/Build presented rainwater catchment strategies to the Mosier City Council on March 2, describing a recently completed 3,000‑gallon storage system serving a Dry Creek Road home. He said the system uses the house's metal roof as the catchment surface, includes filtration, and required an excavation roughly 17 feet by 10 feet by 8 feet. McWilliams told the council that permitting for such systems is handled through MCCOG.
Mayor Arlene Burns asked whether catchment systems could be adapted for broader city use or scaled for more residents. Kristen McNall, chair of the Mosier Watershed Council, warned that recharging the Mosier aquifer would require recharge above the local fault line outside city limits and therefore may not be effective within the city. McNall also noted that new well construction standards have not raised drilling costs in the valley; she said the standards themselves did not change but state supervision and site knowledge have influenced drilling outcomes.
