We're approaching a drought and I know in many areas people have been arrested for hoarding rainwater. I can understand that because it's not getting where it needs to go but is it ok to collect and store bottled water? It's not being taken away from groundwater in areas with drought so I don't see why not.
Wow, I've never heard of this before, and I didn't know it was illegal. I can't imagine someone getting arrested for hoarding rain water. It comes from the sky there shouldn't be a law because technically it's not the Governments. If enough people started to hoard rain water I guess it could be a problem.
Funny enough just yesterday I started buying bottled water to store in case of an emergency. My husband just laughs at me but better to be safe than sorry is my motto. Just remember when storing bottled water that the water has an expiry date, something that I wasn't aware of till yesterday.
You really do learn something new everyday. I would have never believed there was a law on this. You should be able to collect as much rainwater as you want. Is the government going to claim that they own clouds next?
This is the first I have heard of this, too. That is pretty shocking that the government made it illegal to collect rain but it is even more shocking how fast they got these laws passed so danged fast.
Wow. It's hard to believe rainwater collecting could be illegal. Droughts suck. It's somewhat amazing to me that people would live in places that don't have a steady water supply like Las Vegas. When choosing a place to live I specifically liked my particular town because drought will never be an issue as it is located on one of the Great Lakes.
Is it legal to collect bottled water? Yes, or course. However, imagine the following scenario: A state of emergency is declared. All water is in short supply. You decide to pack up a UHaul and head to the disaster area and sell you stored water at a substantial profit. You can be charged with gauging. There are instances of it happening during the aftermath of Katrina. The statutes tend to just list "unreasonable prices" as a benchmark, but what is unreasonable is left up to the authorities.
There is nothing illegal about collecting bottled water, knock yourself out. And unless you live in Washington, Colorado, or Utah you shouldn't even need to worry about collecting rain water. Even in Colorado small-scale rain water collection like you would install at your home is exempt from the law.
It is not illegal to store bottled water or even jugs of water. It is illegal to sell it at a high price during an emergency. But I don't think that is what you were asking. I buy a case everytime I go to the store and put it in my survival supplies. I have a bunch. but I also have lots of kids so in an emergency we would need that much just for us.
Thanks for your opinions and insight, everyone! Also, just a quick note, the reason bottled water expires is because chemicals in the plastic leech off into the water and make it unhealthy. Also, I do actually agree with the government's laws against collecting rainwater. If enough people hoard it, it will cause serious problems by depleting the groundwater, which leads to less water for everyone AND less water for crops and livestock. So I see the sense in these laws.
What kind of BS is this? ILLEGAL to collect water? It's a damn natural resource. I'm sorry but no, If I want to collect rainwater, something that is falling FROM THE SKY and is NOT MAN MADE, I'm collecting it if I WANT to. Screw that law.
I store bottled water at home, in 5 litre bottles. Even if it's out of date it's fine to drink - bottled water has to have an expiry date because it's classed as a 'consumable'. If you don't want to drink bottled water after it's expired, however, don't forget it can still be used for other things such as watering plants or even hand-washing clothes. Waste nothing in a drought!
WOW!!! I am just speechless. I am all about learning something new everyday but this is NOT something I ever expected to learn. How do they think they own something that falls from the sky? Do they own the lightening too? Does that mean I can sue the government when THEIR rainwater floods my basement?
Next thing they will be charging for the oxygen that you breathe and the space that you take up on the planet...oh yes, that part they are already doing in the form of taxes and rates. Although, I must admit that I read that collecting rainwater is not the problem...it is actually having ponds and mini dams on your property that is illegal in some states. But collecting spillage from the roof etc, there is no problem with that. Furthermore, collecting bottled water could be problematic as we learned at university in chemistry class...that organisms grow in bottled water and this is actually potentially more harmful than chemical leakage...as many kinds of potentially malicious organisms grow in the bottles while they sit on the store's shelves. Also, there is A LOT of underground water...even in the dessert. We have water in abundance. Governments should stay the hell out of Nature's Business (and humans are part of that natural cycle).
Wow, this is insane. We can't even collect something that is falling in OUR own yard?! Geez. Well, the good thing is, if you're just collecting a bucket or two, it's not likely that anyone would really know.
Unbelieveable! What next, charging you ever time you trump because of the noxious gases your ass might release? I wouldn't take any notice of it and still collect rain water because in my eyes it's a part of nature and always free to anyone who needs it. Greedy Greedy Greedy Greedy governments.
You learn something new every day I suppose! I don't see the point of making rainwater collecting illegal since no one claims ownership of the clouds in the sky. Everyone should feel free to collect as much of it from the sky as they will. My family does it to have a future supply for watering the garden. I mean, if it's gonna land on your roof and trickle down only to be evaporated on the pavement, you may as well store it and pour it somewhere worthwhile.
I think you're all missing the point. Water is not an infinite resource and most of the United States (Most, not just some) is in a state of drought right now. We're getting less rain, so we have less water. Rainwater goes into the ground to replenish underground water supplies which aren't nearly as large as you'd think. Rainwater that evaporates on pavement or someplace else is still returning to the sky to fall again at another time. Rainwater sitting in somebody's basement isn't replenishing our water supply and it isn't going back into the sky to fall again at a later date. I've seen what happens when to a country when rain and groundwater dry up and trust me, you don't want it happening here. Since we're actually on our way to those conditions right now, I wholeheartedly agree with laws prohibiting people to hoard a precious resource. It's not about who owns it, it's about making sure everyone gets a fair share of something they need to survive.
Perhaps you do not see the other side of the story. When we collect rainwater, we use less tap water. Now which is more expensive to produce, rainwater or tap water? Tap water, of course. So when we use more rainwater and less tap water, we are saving the government money. Is the government making a profit out of selling tap water to us?
