Regulating the rain
An Oregon city jails a man for collecting rainwater in ponds on his property — and more in our collection of strange revelations about the nation
By The Week Staff | August 22, 2012
Only in America #1
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A
n Oregon man has been jailed for 30 days for collecting water in three ponds on his property. Gary Harrington argued that, while a 1925 law gives the city of Medford the right to all local "core sources of water," that surely didn't include the rain falling on his ranch. But a court disagreed. "I'm sacrificing my liberty so we can stand up as a country," Harrington said as he entered jail.
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