Rainwater Harvesting in Boulder, Colorado
"Water law in the Southwestern United States is different than in the East. In the West, there's essentially a long line for water rights; those who signed up for rights first are in front. And in some cases around the West, Native Americans are near the front of the line because they've lived there for so long."
The rainwater harvesting is deemed as illegal in Colorado. It is illegal to capture rainwater off of one’s rooftop, as it infringed on the supply of senior water rights holders downstream. This had been considered as stealing water as the water would flow into a stream or aquifer, which is actually belong to someone else. Thus, it treated as illegal in Colorado. Utah and Washington state have the similar law as of 2009. However, Colorado recently made it legal for some homeowners to capture and collect the raindrops and snowflakes that fall on their own roofs. This can be a signal for the change in the water law revolution for Colorado.
For more information:
http://www.cap-az.com/Portals/1/PublicInformation/AwardForResearch/Gaston--Rainwater-Harvesting--May-2010--CAP.pdf
The rainwater harvesting is deemed as illegal in Colorado. It is illegal to capture rainwater off of one’s rooftop, as it infringed on the supply of senior water rights holders downstream. This had been considered as stealing water as the water would flow into a stream or aquifer, which is actually belong to someone else. Thus, it treated as illegal in Colorado. Utah and Washington state have the similar law as of 2009. However, Colorado recently made it legal for some homeowners to capture and collect the raindrops and snowflakes that fall on their own roofs. This can be a signal for the change in the water law revolution for Colorado.
For more information:
http://www.cap-az.com/Portals/1/PublicInformation/AwardForResearch/Gaston--Rainwater-Harvesting--May-2010--CAP.pdf