So... what would be better than free water from the sky?
How about: free water during a drought!
So we're having a dry spell in my area, and I emptied by 45 gallon reserve. I thought... "Hmm, there are thousands of gallons a minute of water just flowing away from me where my street crosses a creek."
Getting access to this water is debatably not that hard - one quadrant is undeveloped land, another a lightly used pasture, then across the bridge is what appears to be an abandoned farm (with a no tresspassing sign), and then one very wooded property for which that neighbor probably would not see me. Still, with so much brush to bushwhack and some steep-ish slopes, I decided the water isn't tempting enough for me to get snake-bit or twist an ankle for.
The best way to get the water without trespassing or asking anyone's permission - was to lower a small bucket from the bridge a few times, nab some, pour that into a 5 gallon bucket, and tote my "water rustling" success home.
It's not the prettiest water, I would not drink it directly... and I wash my hands afterwards. But this is the creek that flows to the treatment plant, so it can't be all that bad.
I suppose if I got serious enough about gardening, my own property would be a good candidate for an irrigation well. It drains in a bit of a U-shape so sinking a well in one corner probably would offer plenty of water year-round.