Ginger Zee sparked a debate among her followers after sharing an innocent text exchange between herself and her husband, Ben Aaron.
The Good Morning America star posted a screenshot of a conversation she had with Ben, who was trying to figure out the perfect Mother's Day gift to get his wife.
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"Trying to think of Mother's Day gifts for you, this came up on Amazon," Ben's message began. "I would really love a rain barrel," Ginger replied, adding: "Serious."
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Ben then asked: "What does it do?" To which Ginger responded: "Captures rain so you don't waste water."
Appearing confused by her request, Ben enquired: "Are we drinking it? Bathing?" Ginger replied: "Plants and garden," and Ben simply text back: "Oh".
Captioning the post, Ginger wrote: "Just a sample of what it's like to be married to someone who loves sustainability."
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© Photo: InstagramGinger asked for an unusual gift for Mother's Day
But Ginger was left shocked after some fans claimed that it is illegal to collect rainwater in many states. "Did you know that this is illegal in some states? Weird," commented one, to which Ginger replied: "Wait… WHAT???"
Another said: "Here in CA you have to have a permit from the city [to] have a rain barrel and to use them. Due to the drought."
A third added: "I had to THROW MINE AWAY when I moved to Colorado because it was illegal to harvest rainwater and I didn’t know before moving. Wild." Ginger responded: "STOP IT!"
However, others disagreed claiming that it is perfectly legal to harvest rainwater. "It’s allowed now. Maximum of 2 rain barrels with combined storage of 110 gal or less," wrote one follower.
© Photo: InstagramGinger lives in New York with her husband and two children
"No it's not [illegal]. Some places want people who are rain harvesting on a large scale to obtain permits, but most places encourage it," claimed another.
Rainwater harvesting is not illegal in New York, where Ginger lives, and according to World Population Review: "The Federal Government does not have any laws or restrictions regarding rainwater harvesting. Most states allow citizens to collect rainwater and even encourage them to do so.
"Some states currently have restrictions on the amount of rainwater that can be collected and how it is collected; however, it is not entirely illegal to collect rainwater in any of the 50 states."
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