Hobbies And Interests
Incentive Programs
Some states, especially those in the Southwestern U.S., offer financial incentives to rainwater collectors. Arizona, New Mexico and Texas have legislation promoting rain barrel collection in some way. In Tucson, Arizona, some households can qualify for a rebate for the installation of a rainwater harvesting system. In Santa Fe County, New Mexico, residential buildings with less than 2,500 square feet of heated area must use a rain barrel. In Texas, commercial buildings with rainwater harvesting systems are exempt from property tax. In these states, some other counties and towns have further incentive and rebate programs in place for rainwater collection.
Unregulated States
Over half of the states in the U.S. do not have any regulations regarding rain barrel use. Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, North Dakota, Nebraska and Montana are among the many states that do not have rainwater collection regulations. In these states, you can use any type of rain barrel collection system you wish.
Restricted States
Some states restrict rain barrel use to certain situations. For example, Colorado restricts rainwater collection to residential properties that use their own wells and do not have access to municipal water supplies. Furthermore, eligible homeowners can only collect rain from the roof of the primary residential structure. It is illegal to collect rainwater in other circumstances in Colorado. Utah also has some restrictions regarding rain barrel use. As of May 2010, Utah residents can collect rainwater provided that they have only one underground tank of no larger than 2,500 gallon capacity or two above-ground barrels of 100 gallons each. In neither of these states is it completely illegal to collect rainwater. However, the collection process is restricted to very specific circumstances.
Factors Affecting Legislation
Rainwater legislation and politics tend to be most extreme in states where water supplies are scarce. These regulations and policies can be incentives or restrictions; this varies from state to state. Colorado and New Mexico share a border, but have very different types of rainwater policies. In the Eastern U.S., water supplies are not as scarce and, consequently, rainwater policies are not as contested.