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<br />Basics of Colorado Water Law
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<br />Anothn example 01 the ('\'oIu\hln "l
<br />the pnl1T Jppr"pn.U1on (k"xtnn,' occurred
<br />In 200 I when C'lllTaJ"leglsbl()rs JOUpl-
<br />I'd J 51.11Ule that pnlYld,'J ntlt:.... (IlUnlh.'",
<br />Jml water dl~!nl"b th,' I1pp<'nunny tll
<br />ohlJ.tn water nghls i"T n,'cn:Jll,ma[ In-
<br />ch:mnel dln'rSI"1h I'"l h'J:lllng and kty.,.
<br />kmg Thl, waler am,lUIl! ,llll'\h"d b the
<br />mmllllUm nen~","'al) lor .1 re;t'><.,",lblt- re..:
<br />re.llll>nal eXpenef1lT The C\\'CB lon~ulb
<br />.md molkt's Tcc,lmml'nd,ll[,>nS ILl lhe WJll:r
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<br />(,'un Tn:'Jrdmg thc~' .1rrlllOlllLm"
<br />[ntllles that h:IW "butned TCCn\lIllln.
<br />Teblnl fiow d,'nce" In th,' IX!>1 or .lte In
<br />In,' rrr....l.s" (If "ht,lmmi:, them. mdudc
<br />:hp..:n. Breckenridge h>n Colhns. bgle
<br />RIver Wain and "anllJUl>n DlStm:1. (;01(1.:11.
<br />lmlctl>n. Puehlo. ;mo th," L 'pper l;unm.....m
<br />Rln:r \\,ltcr LlJrL'iI,:rYJ.m"y DlStm:t.
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<br />Water Waste and Return Flows
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<br />In ~"I,'rJ.do, ,I watl'r nght b a "p"""t.ll
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<br />Efliciency of Water Diversions
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<br />Colorado water law requires reasonabl)' effICient mt,thcl<is of di\'ersion, For
<br />municipal use, Colorado law fawns pipehm-s as a reas..mable mcans [(l wnw)'
<br />walc:r FOT agncuhural use, unlined Irn~l1on Glnals and rescn'OITS of all t)'pe5
<br />- dt-spitt' the !"ot'cpajo:e and C\'3por.lIlon Ihe)' cau!"ot' - are also conSidered reason.
<br />ably effitlCnt The present law ,ldl1plS such a Slance, In part, because seepage
<br />rfTharges J.quifers and streams and Detause t'\'apor.lllon acl'ompanJes rea..'iOn.lble
<br />methods of CO!l\'epncc and st,lragc,
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<br />Conjunctive Use
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<br />One wa)' walcr righls ma)' be used more dfidenll)' ls through conJuncuw
<br />use ConJunctlvc use In\'olvcs c(l()rdinah'~d use of surface and gnlundwater to
<br />meel waler nt'l'ds morc efficlemly.
<br />For example, as part of a conjunctive use project, waler courts may issue
<br />decrees for storage of water in groundwater aqUifers. \Vater managers can use
<br />wells or unlined ponds to lransfer surface wateT into a groundwater aqUifer rm
<br />slorage and later exlractwn and use, or to generalc Mcredits' for out-of-pnorit}'
<br />wcll pumpmg_
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<br />Upttrum"
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<br />O_nstn~m ...
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<br />(<OI'(om-ump'-
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<br />kmJ .,1 prnpeny nghl known as J usu,
<br />truuary n.c)u Lsufrullary !ll('an" ha\ing
<br />In.: n~hl 10 use a rt'",'t1l\:l' \\1lh,'ut ;!ctu-
<br />ally ownmg It (}wnl'Tshlp of thl' w,lIt'r
<br />reSlll!rrl' .llways remains III the Pllblll..'
<br />dt'maln unda Lolor.iJo 1.1\\
<br />The :'.lyln~ Ihat .l w,ller Jprropnalor
<br />IllU~1 ~u'-t' Il llf 1,,:'>1: 11 relln:b only one
<br />I;Kl'l llj J. usufrull,lT)' nght ThIS Simply
<br />lIlt',lllS Ihal If y"U d., not nt'.,J w u,><:.1l1 or
<br />pan "I Yt'ur d,'crcl;"d nght. Ih.' wa!er ~(Jt"S
<br />10 Ihll'>C wh,l ,-;in U~ the water ht:nefldal-
<br />ly, .kll1rdmg llllho: pTl,mly d:l1e speCified
<br />III th.'IT W,Il\.'T n~hl dt''':f'''C"
<br />Co],'rad,> ";'uprl'nll' Coun WJtl"r Ia\.
<br />d,'uslllns St.lll' I hat J Willa u"cr 111,1)' not
<br />lak,' fWIll thr' "tream ,my m,lTl' W;Il,'T Ihan
<br />IS needed lilT h.:ndlu;11 u~' .11 thl' lime
<br />the ,R[UaJ dl\'t:r';llln IS made, despilt' the
<br />,lm,lLlnl .11I"wcd l'fl lnt' f.1<:" "f the water
<br />nght dl'l'f"C III dlwrt more water than IS
<br />nt"t:deJ h'r hcndiucl] use IS Wall'T waSle,
<br />.md \\;Cller W,bl,' .;anllo[ h..' mclUtkd \\'uh-
<br />In tht' 1l11'<lSllrc of ,1 water righl
<br />\\'h.lI dehne,; net'd k'T bt'ndldal USl']
<br />:\'rt'd IS a (,'rnhl!lall,lll ,II the amount
<br />n:4ulTl'd W n11.Wl' w,lter III Ihe pla~e where
<br />II wtll ~, llx'd, ,md the amount n.:rdrJ Illr
<br />ht.'ndlCI.11 nmsumpu\'l' ust"
<br />h'r e,\.lIllplL'. "~ncultural Wall'r use
<br />('.\11 he 2l' hI ;') pan"!lt cl'nsumpllW
<br />dcprndl!l~ ,In Slld typI:, crl1p plantcd,
<br />l!.ell~r,lphl~ k'LllIIJn. ,lr img:luon mrtn,xl
<br />\IUlllUp.tl U"l' \'.m('~ fwm '; percent nlfl-
<br />slImpll\'C dunn~ lhl' Winter, to 'jl) pacem
<br />c,'nsumpIlW dunn~ -.ummer Iands.c;Ipl"
<br />lrn~,IU..n
<br />R.:ndlual <.:l'lbtllllpll\'e U~: Iwer a rep11.'-
<br />~..,:nt.Il1\c' hr:.lllllC 11mI' pcn(l<.II~ ttw me.burc
<br />and hnm 01 ,I water nJ::hl HllWl'Wr, It \$ c:1l-
<br />l'Ul.lll'J h\' \'lllumr pf ,kTe-fce! llnly when J
<br />w,lIer nghll<. dl;ln~l'J III Jnl,ther t~l'J'l",lf U:'\:,
<br />p..'lfll elf dl\'C~II'n, ,IT pbce of U:'l'
<br />\lJn~ lypc~ llf WJll'f use PHlducc
<br />~f<lund l'f ,;urfac\' W.1t\'r l\-turn OllW~
<br />",1m,' ~xampll'~ III f,'turn Oow<. arc water
<br />th.u peTClllal\''; ht'll'\~ the r(l<.'t :,llle 01 J
<br />crllr ,md mtll Ihe shallow ~nlll!lJwat"r.
<br />w,ller S("l'rl!l~ Ir'llll unfilled (',mnl'n dllch-
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<br />COcO.."'OO ~OU...D..~ 0'" rOl>! W"'-'E" EDl,It::...~ 0""
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