On August 8th 2012, Gary Harrington checked in for 30 days of jail time in Oregon. The reason: collecting rainwater without a license.
Then 65 year-old, Mr. Harrington had established 3 man-made ponds holding about 13 million gallons of water. His main intention was to use them to fight potential wildfires in the area.
His sentence was based on a law from 1925, which gives the city of Medford exclusive rights to the water sources, including rain.
Mr. Harrington got a second jail sentence of 90 days in 2013 for appropriating water without a permit.
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