Rainwater Harvesting in Colorado and the Quandary of a Taking

Although rainwater harvesting would appear to be a win-win solution to the problem of developing new sources of water, implementing rainwater harvesting in the American West has been fraught with tensions that have pitted rural farmers and other agricultural interests against urban and suburban homeowners. The water law of the western states is based on the prior appropriation doctrine, which creates a “first in time, first in right” system of water rights tied to when a user diverts surface water for beneficial use. Since water rights are property rights, state statutes and regulations that “go too far” in affecting them risk giving senior appropriators a takings claim. Based on the nature of rainwater harvesting and judicial interpretations of federal and state constitutional takings clauses, the most likely claims by downstream agricultural irrigators in the West are that state statutes authorizing rainwater harvesting are per se physical takings. Such takings require compensation, even though they do not result in the total loss of the right to use water or have a minimal economic impact on a senior appropriator. To avoid a taking, state legislatures need to draft these statutes in ways that take advantage of how existing state laws implement the prior appropriation doctrine. Colorado’s most recent rainwater harvesting statute leverages how the no-injury requirement placed on junior appropriators ultimately limits the scope of the senior appropriators’ water rights and avoids a taking

Water in the Green Economy: Capacity Development Aspects

This book discusses needs related to capacity development for water resources management, including water supply and sanitation, in the context of the green economy. It showcases theoretical and practical approaches with proven success. Most contributions come from members and partners within the interagency mechanism, UN-Water. The 11 case studies in this book range from innovative design and delivery of capacity development programs related to water in the green economy, market mechanisms, and quality control procedures supporting capacity development success towards the practical implementation of programs to enhance individual and institutional capacity

Droppeparken; where the city’s rhythm meets nature’s cycle : a design proposal to raise awareness on stormwater in Gothenburg

We live in a time of disruption as a consequence of climate change. Our cities are facing increasingly extreme weather events such as drought, more frequent rainfall and flooding. Therefore, in order to address these challenges, urban planning and landscape design can be utilized to find sustainable solutions and at the same time create attractive urban environments. With this vulnerability in mind, waterside cities such as Gothenburg need to be open to adopting new sustainable stormwater practices that use blue-green infrastructure. In recent years, sustainable stormwater management and strategies to achieve this such as Low Impact Development (LID) have been practiced in many urban projects. Hence, the technical aspects of this approach are very well developed. However, from a social perspective less attention has been given to how these systems can potentially increase the quality of life between buildings. The integration of open storm water systems in public spaces is an area that has a great potential for research. In addition, communication with the public about an open stormwater design can be a challenge if the aim is not understood correctly. Pedagogical design can be used as a tool to overcome this challenge and better inform citizens about extreme weather events. Through the application of research-by-design and the investigation of open stormwater projects in northern Europe, this project aims to explore the potential for designing a similar system for the Eriksberg area of Gothenburg. An important outcome of this project is to demonstrate that storytelling in design can be used as a pedagogical tool to raise awareness of environmental issues. The design proposal introduces elements in the design area that narrate the story of a falling raindrop. These elements integrate the technical solutions of stormwater management with the visual and acoustic characteristics of water to create a multisensory experience. This emphasises the role of water to represent the identity of the place. The design presents a story that highlights the identity of the place and potentially helps visitors to understand the designer’s intention. This will possibly encourage active participation of inhabitants. Finally, it is crucial to have a multidisciplinary perspective when working with stormwater projects. In addition, investment in prototyping and innovative test beds offer new possibilities for waterside cities that explore social and artistic potential

International Rainwater Catchment Systems Experiences

Harvesting rain and using it for drinking and domestic use will help to give scattered rural households and under-served city dwellers access to water. The world cannot ignore using rain - as the source of all water. This book presents stories and experiences from some 15 countries from all over the globe, developed and less developed. There are many more experiences that can be highlighted, but those included are thought to give the reader a good overview of what can be done when water supply engineering investment has not yet reached the unserved. Rainwater harvesting has an important role to play as a safe water supply when other sources are not safe or not available. A rainwater system brings along storage. It may be perceived as a little expensive but will normally be cheaper than a house connection from a centrally treated water supply system. Moreover, the storage will be invaluable in an emergency when tankered water can be stored. Also, in times of drought households with rainwater storage will still have a supply of water

Farm Management. Proceedings of NJF Seminar No. 345, 2-4 October 2002

publishedVersio

A Guide to Understanding the Fundamental Principles of Environmental Management

In this human-dominated “Anthropocene Epoch,” how does one protect and manage scarce environmental resources? This book uses plain language to introduce the non-expert to the fundamentals of environmental management, without requiring them to have a solid grounding in the basic sciences. The authors build upon the reader's natural understanding of scientific principles to learn how to follow the consequences of change through natural systems and to ask better questions about one's environment. Case studies are provided, drawn from temperate ecosystems and human-altered landscapes. Two sets of stories are crafted to explain scientific concepts and introduce analytical approaches, identifying where and how to obtain relevant information. The first covers water and where it goes and what factors affect its fate, and the second how key building blocks of life (carbon and the nutrients, nitrogen and phosphorus) change chemical forms and cycles through the environment. The role of soils in the nexus of environmental media is explained. Finally, the authors describe, and also lead the reader to identify, how humans have altered core processes and to judge the significance of these changes. The reader will learn how to fix environmental dysfunction in both private and public lives

A Guide to Understanding the Fundamental Principles of Environmental Management

In this human-dominated “Anthropocene Epoch,” how does one protect and manage scarce environmental resources? This book uses plain language to introduce the non-expert to the fundamentals of environmental management, without requiring them to have a solid grounding in the basic sciences. The authors build upon the reader's natural understanding of scientific principles to learn how to follow the consequences of change through natural systems and to ask better questions about one's environment. Case studies are provided, drawn from temperate ecosystems and human-altered landscapes. Two sets of stories are crafted to explain scientific concepts and introduce analytical approaches, identifying where and how to obtain relevant information. The first covers water and where it goes and what factors affect its fate, and the second how key building blocks of life (carbon and the nutrients, nitrogen and phosphorus) change chemical forms and cycles through the environment. The role of soils in the nexus of environmental media is explained. Finally, the authors describe, and also lead the reader to identify, how humans have altered core processes and to judge the significance of these changes. The reader will learn how to fix environmental dysfunction in both private and public lives