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<br />Basics of Colorado Water Law
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<br />The Prior /'-\pproprialinT1 System
<br />.-\ lc~al Ir.mll'Wl~rk ,'.dled In,' pm'T
<br />appwpn.llh'll 5~.;tem rq~ulall.'; the u,...:
<br />"f ..udal>: waler m r1\"l"T<' .lOJ tnhutary
<br />~.rl'unJ\\.lI<'r ,onn"do:d II> Ih,' !In'T h;L.;lIl
<br />rhl<, "y"h:m 1.. mandak"d hy t,,!,'r;L,h,<'
<br />l.,ln<.1ltUllllll It I.. .11"" rckrr,"d 10 .b th,-
<br />pTlllnty dr>l:lnnc
<br />
<br />Tributary Groundwater
<br />Tributary groundwater IS found below the Eanh"s surfan>: It IS h)'dwloglcally
<br />connected to a riwr and IS often called shallow ~round\l".l.lt'f, The interaction
<br />between sm:~ams ,Uld InhulaT)' groundwater occurs In three basIC ways'
<br />\) Streams gam water from innows of shallow g.TOundwJter.
<br />2) Streams lose walt:r 10 aquifers \ia "mO{)ws from the stream; OT
<br />3) Streams d" both by gaming. w.lter from aquifers In some reaches and IlIS-
<br />in~ it to aqUifers in other re:lehes
<br />Water added 10 a "hallow groundwater s}'stem can lnCre;lSC the fillW of the
<br />surface ~Iream; conversely, well pumpmg can deplete the surface slrcam An
<br />aquifer is a water-beating ~e(lll,)gJCal [ormatilm_ Inflllws to an aquikr. also called
<br />recharge, occur when surface waler percolales through soilllr geoll1gtc fractures
<br />mto the aquifer, Discharv,e is the contnbution llf water from the aquifer 10 the
<br />surface Sln'am or spnng SwrJ~e rders to the capability of Ihc" aqUifer tll hold
<br />waler for a penod of lime,
<br />
<br />
<br />Di\n~iotl (J/ Di\nf - Rcnll'\/" I'r uln-
<br />ITlll \"lICI frlml IX \Iuhm 1\!'- n,llural
<br />",lON' Ilr 11....llll'll_ by nk';m_~ l,j ,I
<br />\I.llcr ,lruCllll1: ~uch ,1.....\ dll.:h. rIp':,
<br />hIli' 1)<.\]\ chUII' rC"'-'T\"'ll",rwdl
<br />
<br />IlljIH'\ rhe .Idll'll III .In,,thel th.11
<br />.:,lll~~ .'1 ma~ 1..llL...... Ihe hl.\da" "I
<br />,kneed \1.lleT n~hl'" hl ,ujkll"...... oj
<br />w.lta m till' nnl<' plale ,1IlJ ,m1\lunt
<br />Ihe\ .ue ,'nlJt1cd 1'-' 0"'"-' Ih;\! \\<lleT
<br />
<br />h' o.:l1l'T unda-.land h,'\\ IhlS sy~lem
<br />wI'rb_ kl ~ OC:lHl \H'rJ-bY-\\'l'rJ
<br />
<br />Prior
<br />
<br />\\'.IIl'T u,..,,__r;;. wah e,Hhel woller nghb
<br />dn:rn'" '-Cnlt'l nght;;.i h;lH' lxt1I'r nghb
<br />m lIme' 1,1 ...hlm ,..upply. ;mJ call hll thelr
<br />IlI'eJ,. hd"TI' ,lthn... qUll1,'r nghb\ can
<br />hc.~lIl III US<' w.lter rhl' phra'-l.' 'hT",! III
<br />tlllw/lir,..1 111 nghl 15 a sh,lfIh"nd de~np-
<br />ll,lIl \)! dw pTh'r .lpprllprlJll.,n J(xtnnl'
<br />
<br />Appropriation
<br />\pprl'pnalh)11 ,xcur;;. when ;1 puhlll"
<br />,1(!,I'nl.:y. 1'n\';lI\' pn",-'n. l'T hU511le~S plaCl'~
<br />w.1[,'r h' a hcnl'lll'l;l\ u;.c an__l'TJl11~ III
<br />prIX't'Jurl'''' rn.~'>l'nhl'J hy law ()nly pTl'\"-
<br />Ilusl~ UIl.lppll'pri,l\,'J ,.urLln' ,ll mhuI.u"\
<br />~rl'lll1dw.lI\'r c:ln hi' ,Ippwpn:.ltl'd The
<br />;Ipprl'pn,lwT llllbl h,I\-\' a plan III dln:r\.
<br />.,11'Te, I'T ,'lhawl"" C,lplurl' P,)~~.:,..s, and
<br />",'nlflll thl' w.lleT tur .1 henl'hci;llllSc'
<br />
<br />System
<br />Thc pm'T ,1ppn'pn;l!l'lIl ~y~ll'lI1 pm-
<br />nd,'", .1 k~ll pr,xl'Jur\' hy which Weller
<br />U"'T5 c;m "bl,un .1 lOun detTl"C f"T thl'ir
<br />\~.lter T1~hlS I.x,' W;lld C~'un5 p 11),
<br />ThIS pnx~''''~ "I ,'\1Un ;ippn'\'al I;;' Lllled
<br />;ldll.lJII.Illl)fl .-\d]lI<.hc;llll,n "I J \~elICT n~ht
<br />..cl~ Ih.. pn,'rll~ J;lle l)! Ih,' "aln nghl liS
<br />,;.,'UTle ,,1 ,..upply. .lm"lIm. ]ll'lnl \1! diver-
<br />~Il'n. IYP'" ;Jnd pl.1..:e Ilf use It ,lis,' ,'~'nhnns
<br />Ih,ll IhlS w.\I,'r n~hl WIll 1ll'1 C;IUx mlu~'
<br />h' oHln~ \~,lt,'r n~hl,;. h,llders
<br />fha,' an' [W" h,l~l, Iypt.,.. 01 pll,'r
<br />.lpprllpn,II1<'" w.ller rj~hb <in,'ct fio\\
<br />n,~ht... ;md ~\llT;I~" n~hb The hlSI \ak,':>
<br />\1,1l,'r Jlredh fwm ,I Slre,lnl \Illb rlal"(" <,f
<br />u..... Th.. :><xI'nd put,.. W,lll'T IntI' J rCSI'ry,'lr
<br />ll'r lateT lI"l'
<br />lhe pnM ;lppr.'pn;1l1<'n ,;.\'tl'm ;11".,
<br />l.l\~ \'ul ,m IHdeTh prl\LcduT\" "" thJI SIJ.I.-
<br /><,jhl'lJls l;m Jl'_tnbul,' \~Jler .k(.'rJmg W
<br />dl'lrl,.-d \\.llff n~hl pnllnt~ dJ\c~ ,..hut-
<br />tln~ ,'Il 1unh'r n"ht,.. .b needcd III ,.J.ll,;.h
<br />"'"ll1~'r T1~hb The ,'nh ~"','cpth'n,.. '" thIS
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<br />COLO....OC .0","'0'>''10,", ~o.. WATE" Eouc....,O..
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