Are you allowed to collect rainwater in Denver? How about reusing graywater in Denver? As we move into spring and the rains start coming, it sure gets tempting to divert some of that water coming from the gutters into a garden. Or better yet, collect rainwater to use for watering down the road. It sure seems like a green concept and a way touse less water. But is it legal in Denver? The answer is NO.
If you look at the Denver Water website, it explains both scenarios for collecting rainwater and resuing graywater which is bath or laundry water. What it comes down to is that you are only allowed to use water once by law in Denver. Once you use it for your bath or laundry, it is no longer yours and must be sent on down the line for others to use, hence no graywater reuse.
A similar principal applies to collecting rainwater. By law, the rainwater does not belong to us, it belongs to someone down the line with vested water rights. Therefore, we cannot collect and store anything beyond that. It looks like they are experiminting with rain water collection in a few neighborhoods around the state, so we will see if that changes the laws in the near future. Until then, we better send it on down the line.
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