SENATE BILL 09-080 - CONCERNING LIMITED EXEMPTIONS FOR WATER COLLECTED FROM CERTAIN RESIDENTIAL ROOFTOPS

On April 22, 2009, Govenor Ritter signed SB09-080 which became effective July 1, 2009 and allows rainwater to be gathered from roofs under the following conditions:

• The property on which the collection takes place is residential property, and
• The landowner uses a well, or is legally entitled to a well, for the water supply, and
• The well is permitted for domestic uses according to Section 37-92-602, C.R.S.(generally this means the permit number will be five or six digits with no "-F" suffix at the end), and
• There is no water supply available in the area from a municipaliity or water district, and
• The rainwater is collected only from the roof, and
• The water is used only for those uses that are allowed by, and identified on, the well permit.

The application process from the Colorado Division of Water Resources can be found here or to find it on their site click here.

	Useful information:   Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) regarding Rainwater Harvesting (click here) HarvestH2O.com   A helpful primer on how to set up a system can be found at Rainwater Harvesting Specialists, LLC.

News articles:

• It's Now Legal To Catch a Raindrop in Colorado - "Two new laws in Colorado will allow many people to collect rainwater legally. The laws are the latest crack in the rainwater edifice, as other states, driven by population growth, drought, or declining groundwater in their aquifers, have already opened the skies or begun actively encouraging people to collect." New York Times, June 29, 2009 (Click here for full story)

• Colorado Bill Legalizes Rainwater Harvesting - "Colorado just came closer to making rainwater harvesting a legal option for more its residents". Earth911.com, July 3, 2009 (Click here for full story)

I want to thank Barry Norreen for speaking at our Annual Membership Meeting on Monday, March 29th. He shared his viewpoints about current water projects and took questions and comments. Read his follow-up articles:

• Pay attention to that giant sucking sound
• Well owners have little defense against huge water draw downs

I want to welcome June Fields and Anthony Aust to the Board of Directors.

Southern Denver Basin Bedrock Aquifer Monitoring Plan

One of the major findings from the 2003 Colorado Statewide Water Supply Iniative (SWSI) identified that an "increased reliance on nonrenewable, nontributary groundwater for permanent water supply brings serious reliability and sustainability concerns to some areas, particularly along the Front Range." There is little information available on the available water within the bedrock aquifers or the degree at which it is being depleted in rural areas. Protect Our Wells, with the assistance of Julia Murphy, Hydrogeologist, Groundwater Investigations, developed a Monitoring Plan for the Southern Denver Basin.

In 2006, the Colorado legislature established the Water Supply Reserve Account managed by the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB). This account was to provide funds for grants and loans to complete water activities to include water supply and environmental projects and/or studies.

To be considered by CWCB, the proposal first needed approval from one of the Basin Roundtables. El Paso County falls within the boundaries of the Arkansas Basin Roundtable (ABRT). POW presented the proposal to the ABRT on May 14, 2008, requesting $25K each from the ABRT and the Metro Roundtable, with the CWCB making up the difference of $175K.

Despite justification from Dick Wolfe, State Engineer,

"The proposed dedicated monitoring wells and additional 25 existing wells to be

selected for monitoring will provide additional geologic

and water level information needed to better define

and understand ground water conditions in this area."

Dick Wolfe, State Engineer, Director

the ABRT rejected to fund $25K and would not refer the project to the CWCB.

POW continues to seek funding sources for this project and has applied for Tax Exempt Status under the IRS 501 (c) (3) which will make donations to POW tax deductible. The IRS determination is expected by June 2010.

Click here for project details.

See our August 2007 Newsletter for more information about the Arkansas Basin Roundtable.