Rainwater Harvesting
I recently read somewhere that in Colorado it is illegal to catch the rainwater off of your OWN roof. The dimwits who made this illegal need to be sentenced to 6 months with only sand to drink. But to the point of catching rainwater, I have a possible solution . I have an aluminum frame I got while visiting my favorite dumpster. it is shaped like a tent, and has cloth where the roof of the tent would be. It is about 4 feet high and 6 feet long. The thing is probably a sun shade or something similar. Anyway, I had an idea. Turned upside down, it could catch rain and when placed one end slightly higher than the other, would funnel rain straight into a barrel or a tank. I may have to line it with a tarp so that the rain doesn't run through it. When the rain stops, turn it right side up again (like a tent) and use it for a sun shade. No incriminating evidence on your roof, and the frame could be hinged to fold in the middle and put in a shed, etc. .

colorado no longer has that law it was changed june of 2009.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/29/us/29rain.html

still illegal in utah unless you own water rights on the ground you own..

but i believe even there you can now get a permit even if you dont own the water rights.


these laws came out of the water rights laws of the old west,they are not anything new. in fact most of the new laws concerning rainwater harvesting are going the opposite direction.

for example,santa fe now requires all new dwellings to have a water catchment system..