CaliforniaĬalifornia has a mass amount of regulation surrounding rain water collection due to severe droughts in much of the state, but home rain water collection is mostly legal. Collected water can be used for non-potable purposes, like watering gardens. People are allowed two barrels with a capacity under 110 gallons. ColoradoĪ few years back, harvesting rain water in Colorado was simply illegal in any capacity, but thanks to new laws passed in 2016, harvesting rain water for personal use is okay in most areas. With that being said, here are the states that have rain water collection laws on their books with a short explanation for what those laws are like in each place. Beyond state regulations, some cities also have specific rain water regulations in place, so be sure to check those out as well. Just because a state has laws regulating rain water collection doesn’t mean that it’s wholly illegal. Some laws state that commercial collection is unacceptable, or that you can collect only so much rain water per year, or regulate the way you use collected rain water. It’s important to note that, in many places where there are laws that regulate rain water collection, the degree to which the laws would affect the average homeowner vary a great deal.
Though large-scale collection wasn’t really feasible then, the idea that someone might cause ill effect on someone else by harvesting rain water was still an idea that was controversial in some places. The history of some rain water regulation laws in the United States goes back until at least the 1800s. Especially in places that frequently experience drought and problems with the water supply, these changes can wreak havoc. For instance, if large amounts of rain water are collected that would have run into a river that allows a farmer to water his crops and or a rancher to provide adequate water supplies for his cattle, issues can arise. When large amounts of rain water are diverted from where they would naturally flow, it can cause a lot of problems for the environment and for the people that rely on and have rights to those natural waterways. However, it doesn’t mean that rain water collection is any more legal for individuals in some states. The regulations are often more to protect the environment from large-scale rain water collection operations. Why Is Rain Water Harvesting Regulated?įor the most part, regulations surrounding rain water collection weren’t put into place because the average Joe was gathering a little rain off his roof using a guttering system and a rain barrel. It seems a little crazy that something that will literally fall on your head and soak into the ground couldn’t be gathered and used as you see fit, but there are several reasons for the rain water regulationsthat so many states have put into place. It may be difficult to comprehend, but in many states, harvesting rain water, whatever the method, is highly regulated.
0 kommentar(er)
