Rain Barrel Legislation

The Colorado legislature is in the process of passing a bill that will allow citizens to collect rain water from their roofs and store it in up to two 55 gallon barrels strictly for outdoor irrigation purposes. The bill has been controversial at times and it didn’t pass in last year’s session. Colorado Farm Bureau President Don Shawcroft says
Shawcroft: “This year some carefully crafted language was added to the bill as it currently exists. There is talk about having additional language added in the Senate — whether or not that will happen it will go through the political process. The Colorado Farm Bureau was very adamant that the language that has been added now and to date be included in the bill. Which basically allows a recognition that the prior apportion system and docitrine has not been avoided nor left out of this system, but is still in place. Rain barrels are not a water right but they are a use that is still subject to the overall system. If there is someone who can prove that there is injury or believe there is injury and have credible evidence. They can take that to that state water engineer and say, ‘You need to look at this. Let’s follow the process. Let’s follow the law. Let’s the follow the rule of law in water that we up hold in the state of Colorado.’”