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Rain Barrels Bill Essay

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Its planting season in Colorado, Sergio, a resident of Greeley, goes to Home Depot, and buys a wide range of plants: Heirloom tomatoes, tulips, sunflowers and even some daisies for his garden. Like most Coloradoans, he loves spending countless of hours outside, maintaining his garden. There is a great devotion to horticulture and hard work, digging holes, having the right fertilizer, the appropriate spacing between plants, and of course watering them. In order to keep these plants lush and flourishing with a spectrum of color, water is a necessity. A great way to obtain water is to harvest rainwater. The state of Colorado is known for its sustainable efforts for the environment. So conserving rainwater from one’s rooftop is common-sense. But if Sergio were to harvest rainwater from his downspouts, he would be breaking the law. The debate is to whether to allow residents of Colorado to collect rainwater in barrels for outdoor purposes. …show more content…

The Residential Precipitation Collection Rain Barrels bill aims to make every drop of rain count. This bill was introduced to the Senate Committee of Agriculture, Natural Resources, & Energy, on March 4, 2015, and sponsored by Democrats Rep. Daneya Esgar, Rep. Jessie Danielson, and Sen. Michael Merrifield (CO HB15-1259). The bill “would allow the collection of precipitation from a residential rooftop if: A maximum of 2 rain barrels with a combined storage capacity of 110” (CO HB15-1259). Additionally, it would lift current bans set by the Prior Appropriation law which was enacted in 1872. The Prior Appropriation law, is refers to as the “priority doctrine,” which is a system mandated by Colorado’s Constitution and it regulates the use of surface water in rivers or tributary groundwater connected to the river basin (qtd. in Hobbs). Water right and well holders are the only residents that can collect rainwater in Colorado because of the Appropriation

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