It’s Now Legal to Catch a Raindrop in Colorado

This is good news for people in Colorado. After reading a previous thread on ATS where I read to my amazement about a woman who had been stopped from collecting the rainwater that came off her own roof:

Now two new laws in Colorado will allow many people to collect rainwater legally. The laws are the latest crack in the rainwater edifice, as other states, driven by population growth, drought, or declining groundwater in their aquifers, have already opened the skies or begun actively encouraging people to collect.

The previous laws were simply unbelievable to me and others, as in South Africa, collecting water from the sky or a borehole on your own property was encouraged as it reduced the strain on the municipal infrastructure.

Just 75 miles west of here, in Utah, collecting rainwater from the roof is still illegal unless the roof owner also owns water rights on the ground; the same rigid rules, with a few local exceptions, also apply in Washington State.

Link


edit for spelling

[edit on 30/6/2009 by deltaalphanovember]

Good find, it shouldn't be a crime to collect rainwater, it sounds so ridiculous... :shk:

This part of the article implies that permits are needed....

With the new laws, the state created a system of fines for rain catchers without a permit; previously the only option was to shut a collector down.

But Kevin Rein, Colorado’s assistant state engineer, said enforcement would focus on people who violated water rules on a large scale.

“It’s not going to be a situation where we’re sending out people to look in backyards,” Mr. Rein said.

Is this akin to purchasing a fishing license, drivers license etc???

I couldn't find it mentioned clearly in the article, maybe someone from Colorado can provide some details of the new laws on rainwater collection..

Hmm.. I don't agree with the law at all, although I think I understand the genesis of it. Still, I wonder if they would fine you if you were collecting rainwater for the purposes of watering exterior plants?

reply to post by JacKatMtn


I missed that part about (possibly) still needing a permit. Nice catch .. so there is still a "BUT".

I would think that a law that regulates collecting water is as ridiculous as a law that taxes breathing, due to the CO2 we exhale.

I found the other ATS article that I referred to:

To her surprise, the state engineer opposed her application, arguing that other water users already had locked up the right to use the rain. The Colorado Water Court agreed, and Kris was denied the right to store a few barrels of rainwater. If she persisted with rain harvesting, she would be subject to fines of up to $500 per day.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

So in the spirit of social disobedience, it is better to beg forgiveness than get denied permission. Understood
If I choose to bury a plastic tank and collect water, who will know?
If it is on my land and I install it, I doubt anyone would even notice.

These rules are pathetic. Like there are SO many people collecting water that the aquafirs would dry up. Please. This just another way to CONTROL the masses.

reply to post by shadow watcher


The thing is, most people collect rain water (and/or grey water) simply to water their garden, fruit trees, wash their car. What this means, is that this water goes straight back into the ground. ie. it's just delaying the natural result of rainfall. I would think that by the time the water has filtered down to aquifer level, the water has been purified fairly well through the natural purification system of soil and rock seepage.

The City of Asheville NC now has a Storm Water Tax, which basicly means that they are taxing the rain that hits your roof. I've heard it's pretty common now, which is utterly sickening. Can you imagine if you were to go back to the late 1700's and tell somebody like Thomas Jefferson you were going to tax the rain on his roof? We the people sat on our collective arses and let them tax the rain, that amazes me.
They are tossing around the idea of putting meters on people's private wells here as well to charge them for their water, I think that's going to be some kind of tipping point for alot of people here though, it's a hot topic.

reply to post by twitchy


From what I read, the Stormwater tax is a different issue ie. stormwater management by the municipality is a rather expensive exercise. We are talking repairing damage, creating drains, managing pollution through runoff etc. I can understand taxing households where they are building or causing a lot of runoff (concrete pavements instead of gravel or grass etc).

In fact a Maryland County is giving tax credits to properties that meet or exceed stormwater standards:

Anne Arundel County, Md., will now offer up to $10,000 in tax credit to people making efforts to reduce storm water pollution on their properties

Link

My sole reason for wanting a tank is for outdoor use.
Those days when we are not allowed to water plants/grass can be avoided this way. I may even buy a solar powered pump for it too.
Here in the north east, we get slammed with rain and snow.
When the snow melts, there is minor flooding everywhere around me.
I think I should do my part and collect as much as I can hold (which would be one snow storms worth) and save it for warmer weather.

It seems that the permit required is a well permit...

It also seems that only these people (with well permits) are allowed to collect the rainwater...

PDF File

...New Law Allowing Rainwater Collection in Colorado
Senate Bill 09-080, which was passed by the General Assembly and signed by the Governor during the 2009 legislative session, allows limited collection and use of precipitation for landowners, only if:
1. The property on which the collection takes place is residential property, and
2. The landowner uses a well, or is legally entitled to a well, for the water supply, and
3. The well is permitted for domestic uses according to Section 37-92-602, C.R.S., (generally, this means the permit number will be five or six digits with no “-F” suffix at the end), and
4. There is no water supply available in the area from a municipality or water district, and
5. The rainwater is collected only from the roof, and
6. The water is used only for those uses that are allowed by, and identified on, the well permit.
If you do not meet, at a minimum, ALL of the above criteria, then the change in the law does not affect you and the current restrictions on collecting rainwater still apply. The new law becomes effective July 1, 2009. The Division of Water Resources will provide forms and additional guidance for those who plan to collect precipitation from their rooftops as soon as they can be developed. Until then, if you have questions, they may be answered below. If your question is not answered below, please submit your questions to the “e-mail questions” link at the bottom of our home page and we will address your question as soon as possible...

Still too restricting IMO... If this is the new law...

reply to post by JacKatMtn


After reading those little bulleted extra items clarifying who is able to use collect rainwater, I have come to the conclusion that it is probably easier to rob a bank and skip country, fleeing to a foreign South American country with no extradition treaty, establish a new race and/or religion and happily harvest rain without being bothered by the local authorities.

We have many interesting laws here in SA, but luckily going into public office and making thousands of stupid municipal bylaws is still regarded as the profession of the pathetic and sexually under-endowed.

In other words we are reasonably free of the oppressive yoke of BS that you Americans seem to be suffering under. Abolish Slavery!!

Seriously ... I am sad.