Rainfall may not be of much relevance to households connected to a municipal water supply. But for those living in the driest parts of the world, especially homesteaders, a rainy day is more than joyous. Tania, an Australia-based homesteader, is now going viral after she shared her experience of seeing her water tanks finally begin to refill.
When rain finally arrives
A dry tank doesn’t groan or hiss. It just sits there, quiet, and that quiet becomes its own kind of stress for anyone who depends on it. There’s no meter running in the background, no bill in the post warning that supply is low. The water is simply there, or, well, it isn’t. Which is exactly what made an Instagram clip from an off-grid Australian property so satisfying to watch. After spending weeks without a drop of rain, Tania filmed water pouring back into her tanks. She called the rainwater ‘the lifeblood of the block’. And for a household with no connection to a town water supply, that phrase isn’t an exaggeration. She also added, “When you’re not connected to the town’s water supply, this is a good thing.”
The internet has questions
Tania posted the video on all her social handles, and it went viral. The internet, obviously, had opinions. Most viewers responded the way you’d expect: relief, a bit of envy, and maybe a flashback to their own dry spells. But one person wondered whether collecting rainwater was even legal. The netizen also cited vague memories of people “getting arrested” for it. “Isn’t it illegal to collect rainwater in your country, because I saw people getting arrested for collecting water?” the user commented.Tania, obviously, had to respond, and she assured viewers that she wasn’t breaking any law. “I live in Australia; we love rainwater here. It is encouraged by councils and governments to collect your own rainwater from the roofs you have on your property,” she commented. In a video posted later, Tania said that she received a lot of comments from Americans who thought she was breaking the law. “They were telling me I needed to stop. It was illegal rainwater harvesting. You can get fined for it. And that I was wrecking the ecosystem. I do have a degree in environmental studies. I’m not wrecking the ecosystem. I’m surviving. And how do you think farmers get their water? We’re not getting it out of a stream. We’re getting it out of the sky, and we’re collecting it off our shed roof into tanks,” she said in the video. She further added, “So I don’t know what’s happening over in the US, why you can’t collect rainwater. But I’ll tell you what, half of Australia wouldn’t be here if we couldn’t collect the water out of the sky to have as drinking water.”Rainwater harvesting is legal in Australia. In a landscape as dry and as hot as Australia, collecting and storing rainwater is encouraged. However, local regulations, building codes, and HOA policies may still determine what type of system can be used. For starters, a basic rain barrel still works.If your rainwater tank is properly maintained, it can provide good-quality drinking water, according to NSW. However, in premises that serve the public or employees and use rainwater for drinking and/or cooking, they must adhere to the NSW Public Health Act 2010 and have a quality assurance programme following the NSW Private Water Supply Guidelines. 
“The rainwater tank is an Aussie icon. Every home had one. We also have a dam and, yes, we grow food as well. We filter the rainwater for drinking. This is a normal thing here,” Tania added.Several netizens came out in support of Tania after her video went viral. “Imagine being so brainwashed by your government that you think collecting rainwater is ruining the environment, while simultaneously using single-use plates and cutlery every day,” one said. Another Aussie agreed, “I’m living in Chippendale, Sydney, NSW. For the last 30 years my house has used rainwater for drinking, showers, and recycled treated sewage for flushing the toilet and clothes washing. Disconnected from town water and sewage. No bills. Sydney’s Sustainable House. Three million Australians use tank water every day. In Adelaide, 47% of houses have rain tanks. Thank you. Michael.”