Utah Legislature: Rainwater bill resurfaces

A bill that failed to pass in the final hours of the 2009 Legislature allowing Utahns to collect rainwater on their own property surfaced again Wednesday.

SB32, sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Scott Jenkins, R-Plain City, won preliminary approval from the Senate, but some senators indicated they might not support the bill when it comes up for final approval.

At issue is how the bill affects water law in the state. Jenkins acknowledged that proposing that property owners be allowed to collect up to 2,500 gallons has raised concerns.

However, he said, property owners should "have the ability and the right to capture the water that falls on that property," especially since it would otherwise be runoff water.

Sen. John Valentine, R-Orem, a lawyer, said any change to how water is regulated in the arid West could have unintended consequences.

Another lawyer, Sen. Ben McAdams, D-Salt Lake, questioned how municipalities could ensure the collected water didn't become a health issue.

Jenkins said his intention was not to change existing water law, but to create a specific exception. And he said his bill did not call for inspections of collected water in an effort to keep it simple.

— Lisa Riley Roche