Located in the Green Lake neighborhood of Seattle, Green Lake United Methodist’s mission includes caring for each other, their neighbors and their global community. Through this mission they were inspired to participate in the RainWise program. Green Lake United Methodist’s RainWise installation includes four cisterns and one rain garden, managing rainwater runoff from a total of nearly 6,000 square feet of roof area. Their project

• captures 35,000 gallons of rain annually,
• provides detention and infiltration of the existing roof area,
• generates substantial water storage for summer landscape irrigation, and
• protects Puget Sound from combined sewer system overflows.

The project was completed in September 2019, with a total of $XX covered by the RainWise rebate program.

Back in1903 when Green Lake United Methodist was built, Green Lake was a marshy, swamp-like lake lying in a basin surrounded by rough logged-off acres and backed by tall pine forests. Now developed with streets, sidewalks and other surfaces, it requires green infrastructure to manage the stormwater that trees and other vegetation once soaked up.

Aware of the long history of the building, RainWise contractor, Aster Rosa Ecology, wanted to make sure the RainWise installation design was clean, sleek and complemented the iconic building. Four black, 625-gallon cisterns adorn the southside of the building and capture 4,974 square feet of roof area. Because of the dynamic architecture, Aster Rosa Ecology was not able to capture all the roof area. The cisterns overflow to an overflow box which directs water into the alley. A residential building connected to the church hosts a RainWise rain garden that captures nearly 1000 square feet of roof area. The rain garden overflows to side sewer.

With the help of DIRTcorps, a green infrastructure training program, Aster Rosa Ecology completed the project by September 2019.

Green Lake United Methodist Church uses their RainWise installation to promote green infrastructure in the local community. They encourage other congregations to learn more about RainWise and to go through the program.

Project partners include church leadership, King County staff, RainWise outreach staff and the creative design talents of the RainWise contractor, Aster Rosa Ecology.