Eeks! I always hated the idea of "water rights" when I 1st heard of this I was shocked, how dare the government tell me what I can collect that falls from the sky. It will spread and worsen with time. Whatever happened to freedom to improve one's own land. This man is my hero; I wish him the best and will try everyday to be more like him. I like the fish stock, the amount of water, the docks all around it. Yup, just awesome what he has done!

Other articles I had read gave the impression that this was surface water from his own 170 acres collected in the ponds and not water rights diverting any from flowing waterways. I am not sure the reporting is accurate as I believe Homeland Security has final legal power over water collection in the USA so it is all cool to have a rainbarrel and collect off your own roof UNTIL they take issue with that, and then you have no right to do that either. Much issue came up with the powers to control growing food also handed over to Homeland Security , hey no problem until they say it is problem right? Or until Monsanto has a problem with it, or other corporate sales are plummeting ... the legislated guidelines this falls under is worded ambiguous enough that it can all be quite legitimately serve in the best interest of healthy management for the people or it can be manipulated to remove what people thought was their rights to grow their own food and harvest their own surface water on their own land . Well please correct me if I am wrong .

STATE RAINWATER HARVESTING STATUES, PROGRAMS AND LEGISLATION

http://www.ncsl.org/research/environment-and-natural-resources/rainwater-harvesting.aspx

Rainwater harvesting regulations state by state
http://www.enlight-inc.com/blog/?p=1036

You may find this of interest

Ok, I read this and I have to admit that I find the amount of water he has collected out of reason, without a permit, I'm sorry, if he had one of those ponds, I would be right there on the fight, but he just had to push it and push it.. making bigger and taking more water, and don't kid yourself, that amount of water being held back, even if it was done with collection ditches etc, is far far beyond what he needed for household, farm or personal use.

Even as a prepper which I am not saying he is, one of those ponds would have meet all his needed, including the fish etc, get greedy and get your hand slapped!

we have been hand digging out a small and always growing pond that is feed by both roof and drainage and its been noticed but nothing said about it, because its clearly being used! for farm purposes.

There is a line between using your own land and the things that comes with it, and being greedy on the setups to try and take more then your fair share, and that is just what I see on this one.

13 MILLION?!??!??!?! *shake head look again* OMG Seriously what are you going to do with THAT much water? Fire fighting purposes is the only thing I can think of be even then, if you don't have the right equipment it is really just hoarding.
I don't like it when I hear of municipalities saying they have the "water rights" as let's face it, Mother Nature could take those away at ANY time! But, 13 million, seems a little excessive to say the least.
(as I am drawing up plans for a rainbarrel system -only 4 barrels though 220 litres- off a japanese water chain system for the spring, I have no drain for the eves-trough on my side of the complex)