BOARD00341

• Board Meeting Date: 3/16/2004
• Description: ISF Section - Federal Ditch Bill Easements and Associated By-pass Flow Requirements
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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Maynes, Bradford, Shipps & Sheftel, LLJ>
Attorneys at Law

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MEMORANDUM

TO:
FROM:

DOD Schwindt; Colorado Water Conservation Board

1anice C. Sheftel, Maynes, Bradford, Shipps and Sheftel, LLP

RE:

Ditch Bill

DATE:

November 17, 2003

I. BACKGROUND ON DITCH BILL

Congress =ted the Ditch Bill in 1986 (Public Law 99-545, at 43 U.S.C. M1761(b)(c)), as an
amendment to the Federal Land POlicy and Management Act (''FLPMA''), cnactl:d in 1976. The
Ditch Bill provides an alternative to a special use permit to confirm titll: to previously
undoCll[)lented rights-of-way across national forest land for ditches and other water facilitics
used for agricultural inigation or livestock walering which were in existence pri'lT to 1976, The
issuance of a permanent easement to qualified applicants is non-discretiomuy,

The Ditch Bill is to provide three important benefits to easement holders. First, it is to give the
holder a permanent easement for water facilities across the national forest and ,:onfums title 10
such easement. Second, it exempls the holder from any fees associated with Uling the granted
right-of-way. l11ird, it allows the easement to be transferred without the Unposition of new terms
and conditiollS at the time of transfer. In exchange for these benefits, the holder of a Ditch Bill
easement must relinquish any right the holder may have under the 1866 or 1891 Actsl, including
but not limited to old federal right-of-way statutes, and become subject to all th,~ conditions and

1. In some cases, water users may desire to retain an 1866 right-of.way for theil orillinal facilities
and request a Ditch Bill easement only for any enlargements or modificatiollS made after reservation of
land for the National Forest. The Department of Agriculture appears to have nO obj ec:ion to proceeding
in this manner.

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