Who owns the rain?

[HeyBub]

"By capturing rainwater, some homeowners are breaking the law. This has put city and state governments in an awkward position-smack in the middle of competing water users and advocates, often from within their own agencies, of conserving water to protect supplies."

Some say rainwater should follow its natural course instead of being diverted by homeowners so that the homeowner's betters can allocate the water based on need - or political pressure - to those more, um, worthy of wetting.

It's for the children.

[Sanity]

If the government says that I can't keep the water that falls on my land, let the government keep the water from falling on it!!!!!

[JoeSpareBedroom]

There's a long discussion in progress about this subject in rec.gardens, in case you're interested in adding your scholarly thoughts. Subject line: Making Rainwater Harvesting Illegal

[charlie]

there's lots of water rights issues and laws in the southwest US. there's all sorts of laws about what happens if you disturb the natural water course to redirect water onto your neighbor's property; these are also written such that you can't prevent natural watercourses from their track to NOT have that water run onto neighboring property. if these laws weren't available, then the colorado river would be diverted and massive parts of the southwest would become uninhabitable, perhaps starting another water war.

[The Daring Dufas]

A construction company dug a foundation somewhere and when it rained, the excavation was filled with water. The Feds stepped in and forbade the construction firm from pumping out the water because it had now become a wetland and had to be protected. I may have to look it up on Snopes but that's about how I remember the news story. People with lots of guns can do all sorts of asinine things to you.

TDD

[HeyBub]

Graffiti on a college restroom wall:

"If you're a history major, this is the only job you'll ever have."

On the other hand, George Bush has a degree from Yale. In history.

[HeyBub]

So the chap who complained about his neighbor's gutter-water being diverted to his property should bone up on New Mexico's Property & Conservation Code, Article 32, Section 56, Paragraph (c)iii (or whatever's applicable in his state)?

[JoeSpareBedroom]

No, he doesn't really. If he did, he would not have repeated it.

Onward:

[charlie]

yep. in my area, any water entering a property can be diverted anywhere else on the property, but the amount and exit location from the property has to be (roughly) the same.

then again, my neighbor has a wash running through it, which every now and then floods about 3' deep, and runs maybe 15000gps after a heavy long rain. i'd be pretty upset if it got diverted anywhere over my property instead.

[Anonymous]

Living in Arizona, I see this insanity every day.

There are countless studies and newspaper articles about how population is putting pressure on our dwindling water supply.

Yet, we have MORE GOLF COURSES per capita that are heavily watered ( acre-feet ) per day.

I'll believe there is a water problem when they stop watering the golf courses.

[charlie]

almost every golf course is watered with non-drinking water, most likely effluent from the water treatment plants, or groundwater that has too much arsenic to meet the new water standards (at least in my area).

the outgo from the sewage plants has to go somewhere, and it's against the law to pump it down into the aquifer in most places.

regards, charlie cave creek, az

[dpb]

wrote: ...

Oh, there's a water problem w/o a doubt; the issue is there's more money behind the golf courses than sense in modifying policy until the problem becomes an insurmountable crisis.

They'll always presume they can steal yet more from others until those being taken from finally get fed up.

It took almost 50 years to finally win the court case(s) (eventually to US Supreme Court) but KS finally beat CO on draining the Arkansas before it left their borders. It's still in litigation w/ NE from the north although there has been some movement by NE that may eventually resolve that case.

[Van Chocstraw]

I move out of a town that started charging me for the run off from my property into the storm drains. The rain water used to go into the river, now it is hooked up to the sewer district. I'll be god dam if they are gonna charge me for rain, sunshine or anything else in nature.

[Oren]

A man visits the ocean shore for the first time. Far as he could see was ocean.

His comment: "Somehow, I imagined it would be bigger than that!"

AZ, CA and NV just went through negotiations over the water war.

[Tony Hwang]

Hmmm, The who owns sun shine, air?

[Malcolm Hoar]

The United States Federal Government owns the air.

It must be true because they're planning to tax us all for using it (cap and trade).

[Red]

Ditto for GA, AL, FL. GA wants to keep all the water flow in their state rather than let it flow south to AL & FL. Several recent years of severe drought bought the water war to a head.

Red

[Bill]

Ga also wants their northern border moved to where it's supposed to be so they can tap the Tennessee River.

[JoeSpareBedroom]

In extreme detail, tell me why you disagree with my comments. Try not to be hysterical when you explain why you disagree.

[Bill]

u 1st