LET IT RAIN
The Colorado House has voted in favor of ending the state’s ban on residential rainwater collection — the only such ban in the nation.
The bill will now move on to the state senate and, if passed, will allow homeowners to collect up to 110 gallons of water in rain barrels.
Colorado “claims the right to all moisture in the atmosphere that falls within its borders,” according to the Colorado Division of Water Resources.
“As a result, in much of the state, it is illegal to divert rainwater falling on your property expressly for a certain use unless you have a very old water right or during occasional periods when there is a surplus of water in the river system,” the division writes on their website.
A 2009 Senate Bill eased these standards, allowing certain property owners — namely those who owned wells — to collect rainwater. This did not extend to municipal residents.
“The bipartisan Colorado House vote today is a strong show of support to allow Coloradans to collect a limited amount of water for use on our flowerbeds and vegetable gardens,” Pete Maysmith, executive director of Conservation Colorado, said in a press release. “The common sense legislation will serve as an easy tool to raise awareness of Colorado’s unique water challenges and the need for strong water conservation policies.”
