It's that time of year

It's November

It's the start of the rainy season in the Northwest  

But who's rain is it? 

The forecast for winter 2015-2016 is for a lot of precipitation, so get out those rain barrels and fill them up!  So far, you don't need a permit to harvest rain in Oregon, but you never know how long that free rain will last.  It appears that rain, like the air we breathe, is a free resource, but once it hits the Earth (or your roof) it becomes part of the Waters of the U. S.

About rain barrels - will someone please tell me how useful they are?  In the rainy season you don't need to capture water, and in the dry season, a barrel (or two or three) of water won't do very much.

With the price of water going up (and up), a well would be nice, but the city collects most of its money from fees assessed on a per household basis, not on water use, so having one's own water source would not cut down on those water fees by much.

And then there is the monthly storm water fee. Will new construction be able to catch a break on their monthly fees since property owners will have to put in their own infiltration systems?  Not likely.  The existing stormwater system must be maintained for existing development, and now for all of those private infiltration systems that don't work.

Rain - you can't live without it, but when the government gets involved, you might wish you could!

By the way, did you hear about the guy in Clackamas County who.....

CCBOC November 5, 2015 Video ~58:00
(Jonathan Todd)