Is rainwater harvesting allowed where you live?
Published on March 25th, 2009
UtahHomeowners who want to use rainwater in Utah have to purchase a water right through the state, but Utah Senator Scott Jenkins wants to change all that. He’s planning to sponsor a bill that would allow residents to collect up to 2500 gallons of water in their home systems. I wasn’t able to find any stories about this that were more current than December. Anyone from Utah want to give us an update on how the bill is progressing? As in the other two states where rainbarrels are against the law, the
Utah law is rarely enforced. ColoradoRainbarrels are illegal in Colorado. From the EPA handbook on rainwater harvesting:
The law is a pretty vague as far as penalties, and the state rarely enforces it. The Colorado water laws strikes me as especially fishy, because they seem to love giving water away for free to private interests. According to the Wall Street Journal, this includes:
Yet it’s technically illegal for state residents to collect a barrel or
two to water their gardens! State Representative Marsha Looper is working on
a couple of bills that would allow some folks in Colorado to harvest
rainwater. Even if both bills pass, though, most residents would still be
breaking the law by setting up a simple rainbarrel. WashingtonYes, it’s illegal to have a large rainwater harvesting setup in the state of Washington. It is, however, legal in Seattle. Wait, what? Check it. This is from the EPA rainwater harvesting guide:
The state’s Department of Ecology claims the reasoning behind this is that catching the water before it hits the ground robs water rights holders. They call it “impairment.” The Department of Ecology does clarify that “a traditional residential rain barrel” is legal in the state of Washington, but larger cisterns require a special permit. From what I’ve been reading, it sounds like rainwater harvesting laws can vary by municipality in other places, too. Is rainwater harvesting allowed where you live? Article originally published at: http://ecolocalizer.com/2009/03/25/who-owns-the-rain/ |