Colorado is one of the only states in the country where it is illegal to collect the rain that falls on your roof.
Earlier this year, a bipartisan measure to allow rain barrels failed on the last day of the legislative session.
Jerry Sonnenberg (R – Sterling) opposed the bill, but now he’s proposing a new measure to allow rain barrels if providers make up for the water that would have gone into rivers and streams.
“My argument is that there is actually an impact,” says Sonnenberg. “ We have to recognize there is an impact. We have a prior appropriation system.”
Water experts from Colorado State University testified that the impact is minimal. They say the grass would be absorbed in grass and gardens and wouldn’t flow into streams.