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Patty Henetz in today's Trib:

Don't listen to grandma when she tells you to wash your hair in rainwater to make it shiny - it's illegal to roll out the rain barrel.

Utah's law, established during the 1930s, says that all water in the state - above, below or on the ground - is public property. No one can just take that water unless the state engineer approves the appropriation.

While water officials aren't likely to ding you if you run your downspout into a bucket, you still would be an outlaw. That's why state Sen. Scott Jenkins, R-Plain City, hopes the Legislature adopts a bill he's crafting for the 2009 session in January.

"Everybody's into moderation and cutting back. We're all a little green, even guys who don't believe in global warming," Jenkins said. "If you've got less than 10 acres, you ought to be able to harvest your rainwater."

3 Comments:

 The Lady Logician said...

It's not about being green or believing in global warming or not, it is about being a responsible steward of limited resources.

Personally I would love to be able to collect rainwater for my city lot in order to save the city water for drinking and fire protection.

LL

10/24/2008 10:37 AM  

 Robin Hood said...

Utahns! Open your mouth and drink rainwater from the sky. Unite in civil disobedience!

10/24/2008 10:57 AM  

 Jason The said...

Very cool. Thanks for putting this up. I hope the polarization wears off the issue of conservation a bit more, and this is encouraging to see.

I've never understood the lack of middle ground here. There is money to be made on "green jobs" and "climate protection," which business focused conservatives can get behind, and conservation and energy independence (the real kind, not the offshore drilling kind) - even if it only comes as a by-product of such capitalist ventures, and not a larger goal to protect the planet - satisfies environmentally focused liberals.

Everybody wins, and a good many get rich, to boot.

10/24/2008 11:00 AM  

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