I never imagined that collecting rainwater could get anyone into legal trouble. But after a neighbor made one unexpected comment, I started wondering whether something as harmless as filling a rain barrel could actually be illegal. Then I discovered the bizarre case of an Oregon man who ended up in jail over water rights. The story sounded almost impossible, and the truth behind it was far more complicated than I expected. So, can collecting rainwater really get you into trouble with the law?
For most homeowners, placing a small barrel underneath a gutter to catch water running off the roof is completely different from altering a natural waterway. A standard rain barrel can hold water for gardening, landscaping, or other household purposes. It generally isn’t considered equivalent to constructing a reservoir, blocking a stream, or diverting water from a natural source.
A large part of the confusion comes from the case of Gary Harrington in Oregon. His story is sometimes used to claim that simply collecting rainwater can result in imprisonment. However, that version leaves out a crucial part of what actually happened: Harrington wasn’t sent to jail simply because he had rain barrels under his gutters.
