Look, America is a huge country with, I think, about 350 million people living in it and a gigantic government with tentacles everywhere, so, it is a bit unfair of me to keep digging up stories (see post below) about how appalling they are in some respects. Anyway, I can write these knocking stories because, as you regulars do know, I just love the place - or at least, the idea of the place! And anyway, I blame that Anna Raccoon for leading me into this particular bit of naughtiness.
The full story is to be found at rt.com and it concerns an Oregon farmer called Gary Harrington. (I envy him already because I would love to live in Oregon - er, after Arkansas, of course, he added quickly lest his 'Arkie' pals read this!) However, Mr. Harrington is, in the words of Monty Python, "A very, very naughty boy!" Apparently this wicked villain has been allowing rain water to fill his ponds instead of allowing it to flow into some nearby creek for the benefit of the Medford Water Commission which is part of the local government - natch!
"Thirty days in jail for catching rainwater?" Harrington tells the Mail Tribune. "We live in an extreme wildfire area and here the government is going to open the valves and really waste all the water right now, at the start of peak fire season.”
"When it comes to the point where a rural landowner can't catch rainwater that falls on his land to protect his property, it's gone too far," he adds to the Associated Press. "This should serve as a dire warning to all pond owners."
Yes indeed, Mr. Harrington is going to be banged up for 30 days and made to pay a fine of $1,500 - for collecting rainwater! And this in an area which is always at high risk of forest fires:
“The government is bullying. They’ve just gotten to be big bullies and if you just lay over and die and give up, that just makes them bigger bullies. So, we as Americans, we need to stand on our constitutional rights, on our rights as citizens and hang tough,”
You're damn right, Gary, go git 'em, boy! (Er, how was my accent, darlings?)
Accents? Is that Abhorson the Oregon farmer speaking?
Posted by: Whyaxye | Tuesday, 31 July 2012 at 09:31
Have a care, Sir! You are referring to a performance of mine still spoken of in hushed whispers!
Posted by: David Duff | Tuesday, 31 July 2012 at 10:00
DD
A bit of context please: the US is more or less a free country despite 3+ years of Obama.
In the west of the US, water rights are private property, there is a lively trade in such rights and, consequently, the courts are open to hear arguments about and rule on disputes concerning contravention of such rights. In my (limited) experience of such things, I once had a client who owned millions of cubic feet per year of Colorado River water: he was a very rich man!
This isn't Thames Water persecuting a householder for collecting rainwater in water butts. I suspect - although I don't know - that it's possible for Harrington to purchase said rights and avoid this dispute.
Posted by: Umbongo | Tuesday, 31 July 2012 at 13:14
Now look here, Bongers, I can't let mere facts get in the way of a really good old grump! However, in the report it did say this:
"In his own case, he was issued permits in 2003 by the state that allowed him to do what he wished with the water on his own property. And although the state Water Resources Department saw no fault at first, they shortly after revoked that license and left Harrington to fight for another nine years."
Posted by: David Duff | Tuesday, 31 July 2012 at 15:34
Well. The Oregonian individual would be well-served by telling the Court he plans to set off fireworks 'n that's the reason he needs the rainwater.
Jes' temporarily mind.
Fireworks does wonders where individual 'n Courts in the US of A is concerned. (Oregon is a nice place David - but we do have a town with your name on it 'member.)
Posted by: JK | Tuesday, 31 July 2012 at 16:43
Of course, JK, how could I forget downtown Duff?
Posted by: David Duff | Tuesday, 31 July 2012 at 18:34
DD
Ah well, it's evident that the law and practice in Oregon is different from Colorado law in respect of water rights. However, there was a "treaty" between the various states of the South West USA concerning allocation of water rights
www.usbr.gov/lc/region/pao/pdfiles/crcompct.pdf
Oregon was not, it seems, a party to the compact since the Colorado River - which is one of (if not) the main source of water in the South West - flows ultimately into Mexico via Arizona/California.
Accordingly - and not for the first time - I'm probably talking (or, rather, writing) through my hat. This site
http://www.opb.org/programs/oregonstory/water/or_water/index.html
provides some background to the history of water resources in Oregon and, as you imply, water apparently belongs to and is allocated by the State of Oregon rather than being a free market. Hence the Oregon water authorities have the legal power (if not the moral one) to deal with Mr Harrington as they see fit: so not as dissimilar from Thames Water as I first thought.
Posted by: Umbongo | Tuesday, 31 July 2012 at 19:39
Well, I understand if you are actually syphoning off water from creeks and streams but all he was doing was collecting rainwater as it fell into his own ponds!
Posted by: David Duff | Tuesday, 31 July 2012 at 19:53