Starting tomorrow, Colorado residents can now collect rainwater to use on their gardens and lawns. Previously rain barrels were unlawful in Colorado due to complicated water rights and usage laws. However, due to the passage of HB16-1005, Coloradans may now store up to 110 gallons of rainwater in up to two rain barrels. For information and tips on how to collect, store, and use rainwater, see the publications Rainwater Collection in Colorado (new!) and Greywater Reuse and Rainwater Harvesting from the Colorado State University Extension. Also from our library you can view a 2003 fact sheet from the Division of Water Resources that explains the previous law that outlawed rainwater collection. Finally, for an analysis of the pros and cons of the law, see the Colorado Legislative Council’s Issue Brief, Rainwater Harvesting in Colorado, which was prepared in 2009 in response to an earlier attempt at legalizing rain barrels.
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