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What made them illegal in the first place? I think Georgia and other southern states should do rainwater harvesting too, in case of droughts.
Wait... so they're working out sensible solutions? How unusual!
I hope it doesn't take much longer for them to allow individuals to do rainwater collection on their properties.
The catchment laws are absurd, and should be struck down in all states during their next legislative session!
Some of us believed the scientists the first time around.
We have been off grid for over 28 years. We drilled a well when we first bought our land that has lots of water that is unusable for any household purposes or growing anything.
We now have 5,100 gallons of storage.( 3 plastic cisterns - 2,000, 1600, 1500 ) Our total catchment area is approx. 1800 sq. ft. Living in an area that receives less than 10 inches annual rainfall we use about 150 gallons a WEEK for all household use. ( shower, dishes, low water use Staber washer ) We purchase R.O. water for drinking( B.Y.O.B. ) We use a composting toilet. ( not for everyone - most Americans don't deal well with their own shit ) A low flow toilet handled by a pumice wick on site waste water treatment system ( Google "Watson Wick" ) will replace the composter at some point in the future.
With potable water being the next huge environmental crisis, it is time for everyone to capture and store as much water as they use, just as they should produce as much energy as they use!
I believe what made rainwater harvesting illegal in western states is the fact that the Colorado river can be dammed up several times as water is a precious commodity in the western sun belt. Basically, it's stealing from the state of Colorado, who could have sold that water to Utah, who could have sold it to Nevada and Arizona who could have sold it to California. That's the way it has been explained to me at any rate.
Ummmmmmm, 20 microns is a pretty large for creating "potable" water.
The average bacteria is 1 micron and viruses are even smaller. Not to mention all of the dissolved compounds that can be in rain water (for example, the average pH is 5.6 because of dissolution of carbon dioxide).
The vortex filters might be a good first step but the water in that tank is HARDLY potable.
Water rights in the western US are fundamentally different from those in the rest of the country. Regarding the illegality of rainwater collection:
Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Nevada are part of the Colorado River Compact. This federal law defines how much water these states will receive each year from the river.
As part of protecting themselves from being sued for not delivering enough water to "lower" states, states "higher" on the river have passed laws making rainwater collection illegal so that all of the water will reach the state "below" them that is legally required to.
When the Compact was first written it was based on an unusually wet year although it has been revised since then. Now, the Compact also guarantees so much water to Mexico and limits the amount of salts and other contaminants that can be present.
I get enough water in 15 min of rainfall to water all my plants for 1 whole year in CA.
The way we waste this precious resource is astounding...when it rains we let it rush to the ocean in concrete rivers, and it's drought the rest of the year. What a shame.
Good comments all.
I'm not familiar with the old catchment laws governing the harvesting of rainfall by individual households but it does seem antediluvian... no doubt motivated by the financial interests of some "water-rich" states wanting to cash in on "their" commodity.
I think loosening the restrictions is a step in the right direction. Though a ubiquity of individual households harvesting all of their fresh water needs is swinging the pendulum too far in the other direction.
Local, community-scale fresh water capture, storage, treatment and distribution systems are what I'd like to see one day.
Colorado. Any fool can make a rule, and any fool will mind it.
Wow, I was never aware it was illegal to collect rain water. My family has been doing it for years, we keep a big barrel under our gutter to store water in cast the power goes out, and in WA it goes out at least a couple times each winter. Honestly its a little ridiculous that they made it illegal in the first place and considering most states are in a drought every summer, why didnt they change this sooner?
Our bodies are so dependent on water to survive
http://tinyurl.com/pn8h5e
The vortex filters are the pre-filters before it reaches the tank. There is also an ozone generator in the tank... Before it gets to the house, the water passes through another pre-filter, a UV filter, and finally a carbon filter. It should be pretty good water by then.
I think collecting rainwater is a great idea. My dad had a cabin in Arkansas and that was the main source of water their for years. I'd love to see the option allowed everywhere.
I hate to say it, but the system pictured above looks like part of an oil refinery. I like the chains, tho.
Collecting rainwater for my bucket garden is a great way to help conserve water.
I too created a rain barrel using a vinyl trashcan and a few tools. It is not as elaborate as yours but it'll do.
Nice Job
It cost about 10 bucks and is working nicely. You can take a look at my step by step pictures if interested.
http://gravitygarden.com/rainbucket/?page_id=46
Gravity Gardener..
Gravity Gardner - nice rain barrel - very easy to make. I'd add an overflow connection near the top to take the extra rain water away from your house foundation. Here's another example of do-it-yourself rain barrels:
http://www.greenterrafirma.com/DIY_Rain_Barrel.html
Re: Harvesting Rain - different parts of the country have different needs. In the town of Wingham, this spring, an insurance company gave the residents 1,000 rain barrels. Wingham sometimes gets huge downpours of rain, which can result in flooded basements. Thus the reason an "insurance company" was giving away rain barrels.
I can understand however, that down-river states, may need all the water they can get - thus the restrictions on harvesting rain, up-stream.