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Water Rights and Decrees Monthly Water Resumes Each water court publishes a monthly resume of the applications it has received, both in newspapers and by mailing individual copies to persons on the water clerk's mailing list. This is how the citizens of Colorado are informed of pending water cases The Colorado Courts post all se~~cn ~~~ater court di~~ision monthly resumes on the Colorado Court's Web site at ww~w.courts.state.co.us Statements of Opposition Owners of water rights may file a statement of opposition to any water right application they think might cause injury to their water rights. A statement of opposition must be filed within 60 days of when notice of the application appears in the resume. Any citizen may oppose a water rights application, but Colorado law does not allow citizens to raise questions of injury to water rights they do not own. The State and Division Engineers can file a statement of opposition to any application. Colorado law does not allow opposition on public interest or envi- ronmental. grounds. Water court forms for applications and statements of opposition are main- tained at the local water clerk's office and on the Colorado Court's Web site at www.courts.state.co.us " ~., { ~,.. `, _- -.$ :_ :< ~; 1. i !aas. F, Colorado Water Divisions Division I - $ol.lth Platte River Division 2 - Arkansas River Division 3 Rio Grande River Division 4 - Gunnison River Division 5 - Colorado River Division b - Division 7 - Yampa, White and North Platte Rivers San Miguel, San Juan and Animas Rivers Water Courts Starting with an 1879 statute, the Colorado General Assembly assigned the duty of setting water right priority dates and amounts to the courts. This differs from almost all other western states, which use a permit system. In 1969, the Legislature created seven water divisions based on the major watersheds of the state. The water court for each division is headquartered in the following locations: • Greeley: South Platte River Basin • Pueblo: Arkansas River Basin. • Alamosa: Rio Grande River Basin • Montrose: Gunnison River Basin • Glenwood Springs: Colorado River Mainstem • Steamboat Springs: Yampa, White, and North Platte River Basins, and • Durango: San Juan and Dolores River Basins. In Colorado, water courts have juris- diction over all water right decree appli- cations for surface water, tributary groundwater, nontributary, Denver Basin groundwater outside of designated groundwater basins, and geothermal resources. In addition, they review cases of reasonable diligence for conditional water rights, changes of water rights, exchanges, and augmentation plans, and appeals from State or Division Engineer enforcement orders. Water courts also have jurisdiction to review cases where the state and divi- sion engineers have refused to enforce reductions or shutdowns of undecreed water uses or decreed junior water rights after a "call" was placed by a sen- ior water right (see The Workings of a River Call, p.18). Appeal of a water court decision goes directly to the Colorado Supreme Court. Water courts set the priority date for the water rights decree based on the year in which the application is filed, and, within that year, the date when the water ~ 2 C^ L^ R A D^ F^ U N D A T I ^ N F^ R W A T E R E D U C A T I ^ N