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<br />6 <br /> <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br /> <br />3. (a) The State Engineer and those under his supervlslon shall <br />be subj ect to the di rect i on of the execut i ve di rector of the <br />Department of Natural Resources with respect to those matters <br />concerning the Division of Water Resources which require <br />coordination with other branches of the Department of Natural <br />Resources. <br /> <br />4. Under the control and di recti on of the State Engi neer, and in <br />cooperation with the Colorado Water Conservation Board, there <br />shall be a water supply section, which shall have the duty to <br />collect and stUdy data and distribute such information on the <br />water supplies, both surface and ground water, of the state <br />of Colorado in order to make a more efficient administration <br />of the uses thereof (C.R.S. 937-80-102 (1-8). <br /> <br />Ground Water Commission <br /> <br />The Ground Water Commission was originally created in 1957, but that law <br />was repealed and the Commission was re-created in 1968 by the Ground Water <br />Management Act. The Commission consists of 12 members, nine appointed by the <br />Governor and three ex-officio includin9: the State Engineer, the Executive <br />Di rector of the Department of Natural Resources and the Di rector of the <br />Colorado Water Conservation Board. The Commission is responsible for the <br />adjudication of water rights and regulates the use of certain designated <br />ground water within certain geographic areas. Staff support for the Ground <br />Water Commission comes from the Division of Water Resources. The Commission <br />is further discussed under the "Ground Water" section. <br /> <br />Surface Water. As noted earl i er, Colorado operates under a system of <br />surface water ri ghts appropri ati on where the od gi nal authority for the <br />granting of a water right lies with the judiciary--a special water court. <br /> <br />Colorado follows the strict policy of prior appropriation for surface <br />water rights. Riparian rights were recognized in the mid-nineteenth century, <br />but subsequent laws completely ruled out riparian, rights, and Colorado was <br />the first state to totally rule out the riparian doctrine. The Colorado <br />