Rain Barrels Illegal?! Huh?

There was some rumblings about this in South America about 4-5 years ago. (If my memory serves me well...and most days it's a little rusty!)

A water company came in and paid off the politicians so that they made it illegal to collect rainwater. Next thing you know, they had a big juicy contract to put in water lines. Now the poor had to pay for water that they used to collect. Pretty good scam.

Am I reading correctly that there is a permit stipulation required before the state of Colorado presumes authority ?
I saw something about properties currently serviced by a well, septic or public water permit being the ones liable for the runoff regulations.
Is that the case, or does the state legislature presume authority over every property in Colorado, regardless of said land's encumberment by or absence of permit applications ?

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“I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice! And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.” Barry Goldwater.
III

That sounds like a badly confused and factually deficient recollection of what happened in Bolivia

Here in Washington State, I have a 250 gallon plastic tank in a stainless steel cage. It's sole purpose is to catch rainwater off of my roof. When we had drought conditions last summer, it was the only water my garden received for about 6 weeks, I was off the island and a friend watered my garden with it. My garlic needed that water to survive, I had other things do ok some things not so well this past summer. I can't use the water here to water my garden with, it is too expensive. The water is drained from our wells, reverse osmosis and filtering system returns it by the gallon at a cost. They also add salt water, I have only looked at the system. We don't drink it and usually buy all of our drinking water. We tried filtering it again but are not impressed with the taste or the reports on it's quality. That 250 tank is how I water my gardens and is located near them. I also catch my "grey water" from rinsing dishes in plastic pan, pour it in a bucket and dump it on the gardens. Eating organic produce is important when you do this and I do not use the antibacterial soaps anywhere near that water. The rest of our grey water goes into a septic system.... The amount of water we get during heavy rains can be quite alot. We try hard to be frugal with our water use too. Many other islanders use the same tanks.

Us too!

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in arid regions some anyway they consider it stealing water from the earth by saving it in a barrel

Personally, I think that any state that limits a person's (corporations could be a different issue) access to rainfall is just plain nuts - not that I expect anything less of our current government agencies.

I would think that it would have to be some huge, monster, behemouth of a rainwater collection system to have any large impact on another "neighbor" and their ability to collect rainwater or allow it to sink back into the earth.

Water is the number one priority for man, is it not? How best to control man than to control his ability to collect water? Call me a conspiracy nut if you want. How much longer before the state issues oxygen "permits"? Don't breath too deeply or too much, you'll be taking away the "State's" oxygen. You may think that's funny......but you probably thought outlawing rainwater collection & issuing permits were funny years ago.

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I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them. - Thomas Jefferson

No.

The state does not want the water to go into the ground. They want the water to runoff into a watershed, for use elsewhere, even if the "elsewhere" is 500 miles away.

littlesheeps--we are in town in s.e. Col.

Our rainwater belongs to Kansas.

That said, you may be allowed to divert it to prevent structure damage.

Our house was literally washing off the foundation when we bought it.

We were allowed to redirect the downspouts away from the wash out corner.

There was ONLY one place to direct the water without damaging neighbor property.

So far no one has complained that we garden that "one place."

Of course, it is so dry here that we add to the runoff below our house watering with city water, which is perfectly legal as long as you comply with city water restrictions. Most years you cannot water between 10-4. Some years they add in which days. Depends on how much water the mountains got that winter.

Water is precious. It's the most valuable substance on the planet.......if you don't have any. Go about three days without drinking, and you'll give anything and everything you have for just one more drink. I once went 24 hours in the desert without water (a water hole had dried up, and I had to hike 'dry' to the next hole, and once it was found, I threw a bandanna over my mouth and drank out of a mudhole), and learned my lessons.

Out west, which is mostly arid, most water is appropriated... it already belongs to somebody... usually the first person to lay claim to it ~150 years ago. I can't think of too many folks that would willingly give up their water rights to newbies. The water rights are worth fortunes... some folks sell their water rights, get rich, and still have possession of their land to use and enjoy.

You "can" still buy land out west and get water rights... you usually have to purchase a good chunk of land. I've found several multi thousand acre tracts that have deeded water rights... so far I haven't been able to come up with the millions they want.

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Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival. W. Edwards Deming

nodak3, it is my understanding that much of our water in NM goes to AZ, Calif and Mexico. So far, people here have been encouraged to use water saving techniques like rainwater barrels. I will be going to Del Norte, and it is intended to be my final destination... no turning back now! I will look into what I can do when I get settled.

This wasn't my thread, but it sure has been helpful to me; thanks. littlesheeps in NM

As long as humans continue to populate and over use resources, I think some sort of regulation is necessary. Call me a commie but I think sometimes forced sharing is legitimate.

Gee! I thought I had heard everything ! But water falling from the sky belongs to the state?!!! That is beyond belief! I grew up in Ohio and Michigan before marrying a Canadian. Growing up we had a well and rain barrel when needed. If the clouds didn't water the garden my Dad did!

Here in Nova Scotia we have a well on the farm and use it for animals and the house. Animals need water too in a dry year when our brook dries up.Very seldom do we ever water the garden because usually it rains and if it doesn't rain ; which has happened some years; there is alot of fog and dew. If no fog or dew we only water what is absolutely necessary and that isn't much. My husband always says; he planted it but he will wait for God to water it!

The secret for a garden surviving without being watered in a dry year is heavy composting.We compost alot putting everything from household scraps to manure, fish scraps, leaves; what ever we can get into the compost pile and letting it rot up good. A garden need not be huge to produce alot. Heavy composting with well rotted manure holds moisture even in a dry year.The garden will still flourish.

As for a rain barrel we have one under the eaves to catch water for our hot house. We don't want to water hothouse plants with well water. I thought Canada had too many rules as they are very strict on building codes and such. Lakes and ocean frontage belong to the provinces but so far wells belong to the land owners and rain barrels are allowed.

I don't see how having a rain barrel will hurt the environment. When it rains hard tons of rain falls from the sky and only a small percentage goes into the rain barrel.Not all people are going to have barrels. Even here only us and one other family ever catch rain. Most people can't be bothered.

I wonder how God feels when the states say they own His rain! What really needs to happen is for more people to go back to the land and people stop covering the farm land with concrete. The ecological system has been altered by modern cities.

So if live stock can't be watered from house wells? Then I gues the animals need a room to come into the house to have a drink of water.How in the world to those who make the laws expect animals to survive in a dry year without water? has everyone gone nuts!

if it's forced
then it's not sharing,
it's theft.

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Just watched http://www.flowthefilm.com/ the other night.
It's available at Netflix.
I foresee the day when the government will put a meter on our own private well and send us a bill.

Like when you only get to use half the road or a store limits you to a certain number of items?

Glad I don't live in an arid area.

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Imrose, the problem in the arid parts of the western usa is this:

You can take a hundred square miles that might get enough water for say 6 cow/calf units, one household, and maybe one garden with fruit trees.

Then a bunch of people from wetter climates come out, think it is so pretty and buy it up, subdivide it, and want that same rainfall to support a few thousand horse jails, some organic csa's, all the animals and gardens and landscaping anyone wants, plus all those houses with their showers and dishwashers and laundry rooms, etc.

Now, downslope from them somebody else has lived for generations on a farm in Kansas, or town in Arizona, with adequate water supplied from a stream or river.

When those upstream horseyjails hog the water from the sky it dries up the stream. Our aquifers go empty, so wells dry up. And those downslope folks have no water anymore.

If you want to do all that stuff that requires lots of water, you need to live elsewhere.

In fact, in the arid parts of the country, we really need to depopulate like the plains are doing.

Careful what you wish for.

California is an arid state. In fact, if it were not for water coming from other states, CA would still look as desolate, as an old western movie.

Maybe we better keep the water flowing. We certainly don't want them "de-populating" and relocating into our neighborhoods.

There are wind rights too. I looked at a property in Oklahoma and the previous owner wanted to keep 50% of the wind! In that case it's really just about potentially putting up windmills.

"In fact, in the arid parts of the country, we really need to depopulate like the plains are doing."
They aren't doing that voluntarily, of course. And I suspect a state like North Dakota will grow eventually because it is financially responsible, has very low growth, and a good part of its economy is in agriculture. When bad times come around like now and these states remain stable while all the others sink, people move to the responsible states for work, thereby reducing the advantage of said states.

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I was born [upon the prairie] where there were no enclosures, and where everything drew free breath. I want to die there and not within walls.
--Ten Bears