Its mostly a technological challenge. Collecting rainwater over my own land is not violating any ordinance and it does not require permit, none I know of and I read the county regulations many times over.

But cisterns (for potable water) are heavily regulated by the state (Illinois) health code, and they are not cheap to keep licensed. Also, the collection is limited opportunity as heavy winds are not helping, and quiet rainy days are rare.

Snow - the same. I will be leasing a small backhoe or something comparable, so collection will be easier than with rain.

I still have 10 years until retirement, and I just started clearing the still pristine forest to claim some for the build site.