Rain Barrels Legal In Colorado After Years Of Attempts To Change Law
DENVER (CBS4)- After several years of attempts to get the law changed, it is finally legal in Colorado to collect rainwater that can be used to water plants, gardens or wash the car.
Gov. John Hickenlooper signed the bill into law in May which changed a law in place for more than a century in the state. He also autographed a rain barrel to show his support for the change.
The issue came down to water rights and the controversy centered on the debate that rainwater technically belonged to those living downstream which made it illegal to collect rainwater before it hit the ground.
Some worried that storing water would keep it from getting to other parts of the state that needed the runoff especially during dry periods or during a drought.
Residents can collect up to 110 gallons of rainwater as long as it is eventually put back into the ground.
If storing rainwater is determined to harm farmers state lawmakers can make changes to the law.