harvesting rain water

[the game]

So in the US it's largely illegal to harvest rain water and i feel like that law should be gotten rid of. Nobody is getting hurt from collecting fresh rain water.

[PACOX]

What?

http://worldpopulationreview.com/sta...ect-rainwater/

[Jonnusthegreat]

Offsetting natural order does have huge impacts - our bottled water supply alone has changed a few places negatively. There was also some Saudi who was looking into building an artificial mountain to generate a different climate in the region. It would be great for them, but terrible for others.

[Ghostpanther]

Illegal? Never heard that and I do not understand why at all. Unless the water department of a city hates losing the lost revenue from the metered water. But it is a very smart way to collect water for flowers and small gardens.

The amount people could harvest would not even make a dent in the amount the ground would receive and in one way or other, it all ends up going into the ground or downstream to the oceans. If I was going to do it, I would only collect it in a rain barrel catching water off a metal, slate or clay tiled roof or similar less potential toxic material.

I have no interest in doing it because we get our water from a year around active spring.

- - - Updated - - -

Offsetting natural order does have huge impacts - our bottled water supply alone has changed a few places negatively. There was also some Saudi who was looking into building an artificial mountain to generate a different climate in the region. It would be great for them, but terrible for others.

Well, in some isolated and not normal circumstances, I can see the logic for that.

[Cosmic Janitor]

So the concept of a eaves gutter is alien to the US?

[Ghostpanther]

So the concept of a eaves gutter is alien to the US?

Not at all. Many do it. It has become less common than it use to be however.

[Sunseeker]

The issue is that water is needed to be added to the groundwater so that everyone can have access to water. Harvesting rainwater denies that, and ya know, also denies it to plant and animal life too.

[PACOX]

The issue is that water is needed to be added to the groundwater so that everyone can have access to water. Harvesting rainwater denies that, and ya know, also denies it to plant and animal life too.

Thing is though, there's only a handful of places that actually regulate rainwater harvesting.

It is not 'largely illegal' like OP says it is.

[Katie N]

The issue is that water is needed to be added to the groundwater so that everyone can have access to water. Harvesting rainwater denies that, and ya know, also denies it to plant and animal life too.

You can't hope to even make any difference to it when it rains unless you cover a very large area, which most people could never afford.

[Sunseeker]

You can't hope to even make any difference to it when it rains unless you cover a very large area, which most people could never afford.

The issue isn't one guy doing it. The issue is when one guy becomes thousands or millions of people doing it. It adds up.

[Katie N]

The issue isn't one guy doing it. The issue is when one guy becomes thousands or millions of people doing it. It adds up.

They can't cover enough area.

[Sunseeker]

They can't cover enough area.

If your argument is "You're wrong because I say so." Just say that so I don't have to keep seeing your bullshit responses in my inbox.

[Katie N]

If your argument is "You're wrong because I say so." Just say that so I don't have to keep seeing your bullshit responses in my inbox.

No, you're wrong because you are wrong. You can't cover enough area to make any impact that would make any difference in ground water levels.

[Sunseeker]

No, you're wrong because you are wrong. You can't cover enough area to make any impact that would make any difference in ground water levels.

If that were true there wouldn't be laws against this.

Look, I've studied these issues. I'm guessing...you haven't so....lets call it at, NO U! And be done mmkay?

[Katie N]

If that were true there wouldn't be laws against this.

There are laws against all kind of stupid things. Doesn't mean they are issues.

Look, I've studied these issues. I'm guessing...you haven't so....lets call it at, NO U! And be done mmkay?

No, you haven't if you think collecting a tiny bit of rainwater is going to make groundwater levels dwindle.

One inch of rain in a 1 square mile area results in roughly 195 044 719 litres of water. People taking 10 litres in a barrel doesn't make any difference.

To use california as an example

California has a temperate climate with rainfall of 15 inches (380 mm) to 50 inches (1,300 mm) per year.

The state has 478 920 604 821 360 litres of water in rainfall every year if going by 15 inches and 1 596 402 016 071 200 litres if going by 50 inches. You think people taking some rainfall water in a barrel is going to deplete groundwater levels? You can't even cover enough area to make any difference.

The whole of USA has 28 inches rainfall on average, so for the whole country it would be 20 736 374 345 204 000 litres of rainfall every year. Why do you think people taking some litres is going to make any difference at all? Even if every single person in USA would take 10 litres, it would still only be a tiny fraction. Even if it was 100 or 1000 it would be a tiny fraction.

[Thekri]

If that were true there wouldn't be laws against this.

Look, I've studied these issues. I'm guessing...you haven't so....lets call it at, NO U! And be done mmkay?

Only if you looked at the link @PACOX posted in the second post in this thread, you will see there really aren't any laws against it. The entire thread has a false premise, because it asks why something is illegal, when that thing is not illegal. There are some regulations on it, but nobody bans it.

I could create a thread that asks why riding bicycles is illegal in the Netherlands and it would make just as much sense.

[Logwyn]

So in the US it's largely illegal to harvest rain water and i feel like that law should be gotten rid of. Nobody is getting hurt from collecting fresh rain water.

What are you talking about? There is no state law in the United States that makes collecting rainwater illegal. Some states it is regulated the majority there are no regulations. There are even a handful that gives you a tax credit for doing so. I'm sure there is some county or city out there with morons elected into an office where it's illegal.

- - - Updated - - -

If that were true there wouldn't be laws against this.

Look, I've studied these issues. I'm guessing...you haven't so....lets call it at, NO U! And be done mmkay?

Where in the United States is it illegal? All the states in the US it's legal with some regulating it, needing a permit, or having to follow code.

[WintersLegion]

What are you talking about? There is no state law in the United States that makes collecting rainwater illegal. Some states it is regulated the majority there are no regulations. There are even a handful that gives you a tax credit for doing so. I'm sure there is some county or city out there with morons elected into an office where it's illegal.

- - - Updated - - -



Where in the United States is it illegal? All the states in the US it's legal with some regulating it, needing a permit, or having to follow code.

Reminds me of the case of Gary Harrington where a news article said he was jailed in Oregon for collecting rainwater on his property which if you boil the case down to it's very basics yeah that was why he was jailed but the case was so much more complicated than that. He put dams across channels in that ran through his property and funneled it into reservoirs that all totaled together were large enough to fill 20 Olympic sized swimming pools which you have to have a permit to alter or collect flowing bodies of water and had been told by the courts multiple times to drain the reservoirs but refused. In fact a press release from the state flat said it's legal to collect rain water from on top of roofs or from Tarps.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/ma...-own-property/

[Heran]

The issue is that water is needed to be added to the groundwater so that everyone can have access to water. Harvesting rainwater denies that, and ya know, also denies it to plant and animal life too.

You can't possibly harvest enough to make it a problem, ever.

[Ivanstone]

Your homeowner's association might be dickish about it but that's not the same as illegal.

One issue with collecting rainwater are insects (particularly mosquitoes) using it to breed.