(From another forum I belong to. I thought because it was property related others may find this interesting.)
Who Owns the Rainwater on Your Roof?
You may think you do, but according to Greg Cameron of Urban Rainwater Systems Pty Ltd, writing in the online newsletter Crikey:
"If you are one of the 58% of Australians who live in NSW or Victoria, the water that falls on your roof is your property. Your ownership of rainwater gives you the right to use it any way you please. Your state government has no authority to regulate, require you to use, or tax, your use of the water that falls on your roof. You have the legal right to install a rainwater tank and to plumb it into your household plumbing provided you comply with building, town planning and plumbing regulations. To encourage you, your government gives you the right to install rainwater tanks up to 10,000 litres in NSW and up to 4,500 litres in Victoria, without planning approval... But if you are a resident of South Australia, Western Australia or Tasmania, you do not own the water that falls on your roof. Your state government can regulate, require you to use, or tax, your use of the water any time it likes. If you are a resident of Queensland, your government does not know who owns the water that falls on your roof. However, this does not seem to matter too much, because your government regulates your use of rainwater all the same."
He writes more here - http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=4175
The whole thing is quite bizarre. I can see water storage & usage becoming a real hot potato - it already is to some degree, but I think it's going to get worse. It wasn't that many years ago that councils banned people from having water tanks - what a turn around. Now they're a must in new developments, standards in what size tanks to install already decided, governments giving (miserly) rebates and so it goes on.
Olly
Who Owns the Rainwater on Your Roof?
You may think you do, but according to Greg Cameron of Urban Rainwater Systems Pty Ltd, writing in the online newsletter Crikey:
"If you are one of the 58% of Australians who live in NSW or Victoria, the water that falls on your roof is your property. Your ownership of rainwater gives you the right to use it any way you please. Your state government has no authority to regulate, require you to use, or tax, your use of the water that falls on your roof. You have the legal right to install a rainwater tank and to plumb it into your household plumbing provided you comply with building, town planning and plumbing regulations. To encourage you, your government gives you the right to install rainwater tanks up to 10,000 litres in NSW and up to 4,500 litres in Victoria, without planning approval... But if you are a resident of South Australia, Western Australia or Tasmania, you do not own the water that falls on your roof. Your state government can regulate, require you to use, or tax, your use of the water any time it likes. If you are a resident of Queensland, your government does not know who owns the water that falls on your roof. However, this does not seem to matter too much, because your government regulates your use of rainwater all the same."
He writes more here - http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=4175
The whole thing is quite bizarre. I can see water storage & usage becoming a real hot potato - it already is to some degree, but I think it's going to get worse. It wasn't that many years ago that councils banned people from having water tanks - what a turn around. Now they're a must in new developments, standards in what size tanks to install already decided, governments giving (miserly) rebates and so it goes on.
Olly