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Harvesting Rainwater
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It's all downhill from here, baby.
There's been a recent dustup in the news (Wall Street Journal, LA Times, Twitter, websites, etc) about going to the big house for catching rain drops. Let me be the first to remind you: do your homework before you go running out the door wringing your hands and your underwear. Please. Check with YOUR state's Department of Water Resources.
It was a couple of years ago, my pal, Scott Calhoun of Zona Gardens in Tucson first mentioned to me it was illegal to capture rainwater in barrels...in Colorado. I was appalled to hear of Colorado's draconian approach to something that made so much sense in a place dying of drought.
Well, never fear dear Idahoans! I spoke with Bob McLaughlin, the Public Information officer for the Idaho Department of Water Resources and he tells me you are free to set up your rainbarrels, capture your runoff, AS LONG AS YOU CAUSE NO INJURY TO THE DOWNSTREAM USERS.
We are in good company. Arizona, New Mexico are on the same page. Sadly, capturing rainwater in Colorado, UT or Washington state is still a big no no. So, you better watch yourselves in that part of the country.
Since we live west of the 100th meridian, an area characterized by its arid lands, stay tuned for more information on how to conserve, save, protect and apply the precious water we do have.
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