Hydrohistorian
← Reference
Statutes and cases
The constitution, the articles of Title 37, and the decisions that made the doctrine. Years and holdings are from the text or the opinion page; a one-line holding is a pointer, not the ruling.
Colorado Constitution, article XVI
- §5 Water of streams public property. unappropriated water of every natural stream is public property, dedicated to the people, subject to appropriation. Primary text text
- §6 Diverting unappropriated water, priority preferred uses. right to divert to beneficial use never denied; priority gives the better right; in shortage domestic > agricultural > manufacturing. Primary text text
- §7 Right-of-way for ditches, flumes. across public/private/corporate lands on payment of just compensation. Primary text text
Title 37, Water and Irrigation
Within 37-92: §102 legislative declaration (ISF language L. 73); §103(10.3) RICD (L. 2001); Part 2 = water divisions and courts (§§201–204) — **§301 is administration, not water judges**; §302 applications/resume; §305 standards for rulings; §308 SWSPs (L. 2002); §401 tabulations and decennial abandonment lists; §501 State Engineer jurisdiction/curtailment. Also existing: 37-40/41/42/43/44/45.1, 80.5 (river water bank pilot), 85.5, 88, 89, 90.5 (geothermal), 93 (river basin authorities), 96, 96.5 (rooftop precipitation).
| Article | Title | Enacted | What it does | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37-45 | Water Conservancy Districts | 1937 | Water Conservancy Act; creation/powers of conservancy districts | Primary text Justia |
| 37-46 | Colorado River Water Conservation District | 1937 | creates the West Slope's River District | Primary text Justia |
| 37-47 | Southwestern Water Conservation District | 1941 | creates SWCD (San Juan/Dolores) | Primary text Justia |
| 37-48 | Rio Grande Water Conservation District | 1967 | creates RGWCD | Primary text Justia |
| 37-50 | Republican River Water Conservation District | 2004 (eff. Aug 4) | creates RRWCD for compact compliance | Primary text Justia |
| 37-60 | Colorado Water Conservation Board | 1937 | creates CWCB; §106 duties | Primary text Justia |
| 37-61 | Colorado River Compact | 1923 | ratifies the 1922 compact | Primary text Justia |
| 37-62 | Upper Colorado River Compact | 1949 | ratifies 1948 Upper Basin compact | Primary text Justia |
| 37-63 | La Plata River Compact | 1923 | CO–NM | Primary text Justia |
| 37-64 | Animas-La Plata Project Compact | 1969 | CO–NM (not Costilla) | Primary text Justia |
| 37-65 | South Platte River Compact | 1925 | CO–NE | Primary text Justia |
| 37-66 | Rio Grande River Compact | 1939 | CO–NM–TX (1938 compact) | Primary text Justia |
| 37-67 | Republican River Compact | 1943 | CO–KS–NE | Primary text Justia |
| 37-68 | Amended Costilla Creek Compact | 1945 (amended 1963) | CO–NM | Primary text Justia |
| 37-69 | Arkansas River Compact | 1949 | CO–KS (1948) | Primary text Justia |
| 37-75 | Interbasin Compacts | 2005 (eff. June 7) | Colorado Water for the 21st Century Act: roundtables + IBCC | Primary text Justia |
| 37-80 | State Engineer | 1889 | office and duties | Primary text Justia |
| 37-81 | Diversion of Waters from State | unverified | exporting water out of Colorado | Secondary reference Justia |
| 37-82 | Appropriation and Use of Water | §101 R&RE 1969 | streams subject to appropriation; general use rules; §106 imported/developed water reuse | Primary text Justia |
| 37-83 | Exchange of Water | 1897 | exchanges/transfers between streams; §104 transit loss | Primary text Justia |
| 37-84 | Responsibility of User or Owner | 1872 (territorial) | ditch owner/user duties, headgates (§112) | Primary text Justia |
| 37-85 | Charge for Delivery of Water | 1887 | carrier-ditch charges | Primary text Justia |
| 37-86 | Rights-Of-Way and Ditches | §101 1919 | ditch rights-of-way | Primary text Justia |
| 37-87 | Reservoirs | 1879 | storage rights, dam safety | Primary text Justia |
| 37-90 | Underground Water | 1965 | Ground Water Management Act; §105 small-capacity wells; §137 well permits outside designated basins | Primary text Justia |
| 37-91 | Water Well Construction and Pump Installation Contractors | 1967 | licensing | Primary text Justia |
| 37-92 | Water Right Determination and Administration | 1969 | the 1969 Act | Primary text Justia |
| 37-95 | Colorado Water Resources and Power Development Authority | 1981 | finance authority | Primary text Justia |
| 37-97 | Water Metering Act | 1990 | metering | Primary text Justia |
| 37-98 | Water Resources Review Committee | 2001 | interim legislative committee | Primary text Justia |
| 37-99 | Prohibition of Nonfunctional Turf… | unverified | turf limits | Secondary reference Justia |
43 decisions
| Decided | Case | Court · cite | Holding, in a line | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1872-02-15 | Yunker v. Nichols | Colo. Terr. Sup. Ct. · 1 Colo. 551 | Ditch right-of-way across others' land is a necessity in arid Colorado | Primary text opinion |
| 1882-12-15 | Coffin v. Left Hand Ditch Co. | Colo. · 6 Colo. 443 | Rejects riparian rights; prior appropriation governs incl. trans-basin | Primary text opinion |
| 1891-01-15 | Strickler v. City of Colorado Springs | Colo. · 16 Colo. 61 | Rights are property; may be sold/changed absent injury | Primary text opinion |
| 1907-05-13 | Kansas v. Colorado | U.S. · 206 U.S. 46 | Equitable apportionment; each state chooses its water law | Primary text opinion |
| 1922-06-05 | Wyoming v. Colorado | U.S. · 259 U.S. 419 | Prior appropriation across state lines (Laramie) | Primary text opinion |
| 1943-12-06 | Colorado v. Kansas | U.S. · 320 U.S. 383 | Kansas not entitled to quantified Arkansas apportionment | Primary text opinion |
| 1945-06-11 | Nebraska v. Wyoming | U.S. · 325 U.S. 589 | North Platte apportionment decree | Primary text opinion |
| 1954-07-06 | Farmers Highline Canal v. City of Golden | Colo. · 129 Colo. 575 | Change to municipal use conditioned to protect juniors | Primary text opinion |
| 1968-11-25 | Fellhauer v. People | Colo. · 167 Colo. 320 | Well curtailment without rules arbitrary; "maximum utilization" | Primary text opinion |
| 1971-11-22 | Kuiper v. Well Owners Conservation Ass'n | Colo. · 490 P.2d 268 | Water judges review well rules; integrated administration | Primary text opinion |
| 1975-01-20 (often cited 1974) | SE Colo. WCD v. Shelton Farms | Colo. · 529 P.2d 1321 | No priority-free "salvaged water" from phreatophyte removal | Primary text opinion |
| 1979-04-23 | Colorado River WCD v. Vidler Tunnel | Colo. · 594 P.2d 566 | Anti-speculation: conditional right needs firm end use | Primary text opinion |
| 1983-12-05 (Justia 1984-01-23) | Alamosa-La Jara WUPA v. Gould | Colo. · 674 P.2d 914 | "Optimum use" balances max utilization with priority | Primary text opinion |
| 1995-05-15 | Kansas v. Colorado | U.S. · 514 U.S. 673 | Post-compact well pumping violated Arkansas compact | Primary text opinion |
| 2009-03-09 | Kansas v. Colorado (final) | U.S. · 556 U.S. 98 | Final judgment | Primary text opinion |
| 1996-10-15 | City of Thornton v. Bijou Irrigation | Colo. · 926 P.2d 1 | Thornton Northern Project decree affirmed with conditions | Primary text opinion |
| 1999-12-06 | Santa Fe Trail Ranches v. Simpson | Colo. · 990 P.2d 46 | Change requires actual lawful historical beneficial use | Primary text opinion |
| 2001-12-17 (mod. 2002-02-11) | Empire Lodge HOA v. Moyer | Colo. · 39 P.3d 1139 | Out-of-priority diversions need a decreed augmentation plan | Primary text opinion |
| 2003-05-27 | Simpson v. Bijou Irrigation | Colo. · 69 P.3d 50 | State Engineer cannot authorize well depletions via replacement plans without a water-court application | Primary text opinion |
| 2000-11-20 | Arapahoe County v. Crystal Creek HOA | Colo. · 14 P.3d 325 | Union Park conditional rights denied ("Arapahoe II") | Primary text opinion |
| 2003-05-19 | State Engineer v. City of Golden | Colo. · 69 P.3d 1027 | Golden kayak-course RICD under pre-2001 law (holding not confirmed from text) | Primary text opinion |
| 2005-03-14 | CWCB v. Upper Gunnison River WCD | Colo. · 109 P.3d 585 | Construes the 2001 RICD statute | Primary text opinion |
| 1995-09-11 | Aspen Wilderness Workshop v. CWCB | Colo. · 901 P.2d 1251 | CWCB holds ISF rights in a fiduciary capacity (Snowmass Creek) | Primary text opinion |
| 2005-09-12 | High Plains A&M v. SE Colo. WCD | Colo. · 120 P.3d 710 | Anti-speculation applies to changes | Primary text opinion |
| 2005-09-12 | ISG v. Arkansas Valley Ditch Ass'n | Colo. · 120 P.3d 724 | Companion; speculative Fort Lyon change dismissed | Primary text opinion |
| 2007-10-22 | Pagosa Area W&SD v. Trout Unlimited | Colo. · 170 P.3d 307 | Municipal conditional rights need a reasonable planning period | Primary text opinion |
| 2009-11-23 | Pagosa II | Colo. · 219 P.3d 774 | 2055 horizon reasonable; unsupported quantities reversed | Primary text opinion |
| 2006-12-04 | Gallegos v. Colo. Ground Water Comm'n | Colo. · 147 P.3d 20 | Commission must redraw designated-basin boundaries on evidence | Primary text opinion |
| 2009-11-23 | Well Augmentation Subdistrict v. City of Aurora | Colo. · 221 P.3d 399 | WAS must replace continuing pre-2003 depletions | Primary text opinion |
| 2011-05-31 | Burlington Ditch v. Metro Wastewater | Colo. · 256 P.3d 645 | HCU limits exclude unlawful enlargement/expanded use | Primary text opinion |
| 2001-11-13 | Farmers Reservoir & Irrigation v. Consolidated Mutual Water | Colo. · 33 P.3d 799 | Historic-use findings in a change decree cannot be relitigated under retained jurisdiction | Primary text opinion |
| 1993-07-26 | Public Service Co. v. Willows Water Dist. | Colo. · 856 P.2d 829 | Nontributary return flows may be reused; dominion without piping | Primary text opinion |
| 2008-11-24 | Buffalo Park v. Mountain Mutual Reservoir | Colo. · 195 P.3d 674 | Failed to prove unappropriated water / non-injurious augmentation | Primary text opinion |
| 2015-06-29 | St. Jude's Co. v. Roaring Fork Club | Colo. · 2015 CO 51 | Private flow-through aesthetic/recreation diversions not beneficial use | Primary text opinion |
| 1998-04-20 | Chatfield East Well Co. v. Chatfield East POA | Colo. · 956 P.2d 1260 | Denver Basin water is a public resource; landowner has use right | Primary text opinion |
| 1976-06-01 | Cache La Poudre WUA v. Glacier View Meadows | Colo. · 550 P.2d 288 | Early augmentation plan approved | Primary text opinion |
| 2004-01-12 | City of Golden v. Simpson | Colo. · 83 P.3d 87 | No right to keep diverting at Church Ditch during the 2002 call | Primary text opinion |
| 1963-06-03 | Arizona v. California | U.S. · 373 U.S. 546 | Lower Basin mainstem apportionment 4.4/2.8/0.3 | Primary text opinion |
| 2018-03-05 | Texas v. New Mexico & Colorado | U.S. · 138 S. Ct. 954 | U.S. may intervene under Rio Grande Compact | Primary text opinion |
| 2015-02-24 | Kansas v. Nebraska (& Colorado) | U.S. · 574 U.S. 445 | Nebraska breached Republican compact; disgorgement | Primary text opinion |
| 1997-05-19 | Turkey Cañon Ranch | Colo. · 937 P.2d 739 | Objector standing requires a vested/conditional right | Primary text opinion |
| 1976-03-24 | Colorado River WCD v. United States | U.S. · 424 U.S. 800 | McCarran Amendment: state courts adjudicate reserved rights | Primary text opinion |
| 1995-02-21 | Arapahoe County v. United States | Colo. · 891 P.2d 952 | Union Park conditional rights dismissed ("Arapahoe I") | Primary text opinion |
Corrections the research made to common citations: 37-92-301 is administration and distribution, not water judges (those are Part 2); Farmers Reservoir v. Consolidated Mutual (2001) is about retained jurisdiction, not ditch-wide analysis; Arapahoe County v. Crystal Creek (2000) is the Union Park case, not a recreation case; a "CWCB v. City of Golden, 108 P.3d 1005" does not exist, the Golden kayak-course case is State Engineer v. City of Golden (2003). Advisory, not legal advice. Report a problem →