Rainwater Collection From Roof Laws
However there are rules on using rainwater as a potable drinkable water source.
Rainwater collection from roof laws. State legislatures consider factors such as water rights quality standards and public health that rainwater harvesting may impact. Two laws were passed in 2009 which loosened restrictions on rainwater collection allowing residents to use rainwater for non potable purposes. To comply with colorado water law the container must be equipped with a sealable lid. Rainwater collection calculation formulas and equations roof area ft2 x precipitation amount in x 0 623 amount collected gallons easy formula to remember.
Water rights are a first in time first in right situation. Storage tanks can be inside or outside above or below ground or partially above and partially below ground see fi gures 1 and 2. Rainwater collection including the use of rain barrels has become more popular as a supplemental source of water. Untreated rainwater collected from roofs is not safe to drink.
There are regulations about the use of harvested roof water but it is not against the law do do so. 1 of rain on 1 000 sf roof will yield 623 gallons roof area m2 x precipitation amount mm amount collected liters. In 2009 we issued a rainwater use interpretive policy which clarifies that you may use water collected from your rooftop without a water right permit. A basic rainwater collection system includes a roof gutters or roof drains and a piping system to convey the water to and from a storage tank or cistern.
A journal published by the university of north carolina titled rainwater collection water law and climate change. In 2016 house bill 16 1005 was passed allowing residents to collect rainwater from a catchment system on their rooftops into two rain barrels with a combined capacity of 110 gallons. Rainwater collection or rainwater catchment are other terms used to refer to this practice. Any container capable of collecting the rain shedding from a roof or patio can be used as a rainwater harvesting system.
There are however very strict laws regarding ground water and surface water. A flood of problems waiting to happen dives much deeper into water rights. It states that any type of rainwater collectors whether from gutters on your roof or any other rainwater drain control infringes on the water rights lawfully belonging to someone downstream. That s because weirdly collecting rainwater is actually illegal in some states.