I thought I was simply saving water, but one casual comment from a neighbor made me wonder whether collecting rainwater could actually be illegal. That question led to a surprising story involving water rights, court battles, and an Oregon man who went to jail. However, the truth is much less alarming than the rumors surrounding rain barrels.
In most places, placing a small barrel beneath a gutter to collect rooftop runoff is very different from interfering with natural waterways. A typical rain barrel stores water for gardens, landscaping, or other household uses. It generally isn’t treated the same way as building a reservoir, damming a stream, or diverting water from a natural waterway.
Much of the confusion comes from the case of Gary Harrington in Oregon. His story is sometimes presented as evidence that simply collecting rainwater can land someone in prison. But that description leaves out an important detail: Harrington wasn’t jailed merely for putting rain barrels beneath his gutters.
