|
<br />1702
<br />
<br />-.
<br />
<br />".
<br />
<br />......-
<br />
<br />. ;~.:..~s:-~. .~--- ".~ ---' .. - ~--
<br />
<br />r, "'~..:.. "","_, ....~~_ '._"
<br />
<br />. --o:.~~;.,.
<br />
<br />V.s. ~. JESSE
<br />ate.. 744 p..u 491 (Colo. 1M1)
<br />
<br />
<br />added),
<br />fo"'st
<br />ltes, iD
<br />'er the
<br />it had
<br />;;.in the
<br />tm in.
<br />
<br />ng (he
<br />:13ctin,
<br />its the
<br />, Jar,.
<br />I sub-
<br />, no
<br />ore"
<br />'>po-
<br />'Ie >
<br />.po.
<br />and
<br />the
<br />i.
<br />....
<br />or
<br />or
<br />'<I,
<br />,.j
<br />
<br />water flows and natural lake levels
<br />",thetic, recreational, and wildlife
<br />.: !'I'ation purposes. See, e.g., Denver I,
<br />~ P.2d I (Colo.1982); Avondale l.-riga-
<br />,[)is' v. North Idaho Properties, Inc.,
<br />; Idaho 30, 577 P.2d 9 (1978); Mimbres
<br />;,J1q Irrigation Co. v. Salopek, 90 N .M.
<br />,:0, 564 P.2d 615 (1977), aiI'd, 438 U.s.
<br />,%,98 S.Ct. 3012, 57 L.Ecl.2d 1052 (1978).
<br />so",ver, in United Stata v. New Mexico,
<br />;l' U.S. 600, 98 S.Ct. 3012, 57 L.Ecl.2d 1052
<br />:l78), the Supreme Court rejected claims
<br />'.IT reserved instream water rights and
<br />old that the Organic Act and its predeces-
<br />;lr bills evidence a congressional intent to
<br />,..l"Ie the national forests for only two
<br />'''1'''ses: (I) to secure favorable conditions
<br />;1 water flows, and (2) to furnish a continuo
<br />"" supply of timber for the use and neces-
<br />,Ilies of the people. 438 U.S. at 707~8, 98
<br />SeL at 3017-18. Because the national for-
<br />lStS were reserved for watershed and tim.
<br />!I" protection alone, the United States
<br />rould not claim reserved water rights for
<br />",thetic, recreational and wildlife pur-
<br />l'JSos' Id. The Supreme Court also held
<br />that the adoption of MUSY A neither broad-
<br />ened the water rights impliedly reserved
<br />VI'hen the national iorests: were created, nor
<br />reserved sdditiona) water to achieve the
<br />supplemental purposes of preserving recre-
<br />ation, range and wildlife values.
<br />In Denver I, 656 P.2d 1 (Colo.1982), we
<br />applied New Mexico to a general adjudica-
<br />tion of water rights in Water Divisions
<br />Nos. 4, 5, and 6 in Western Colorado. In
<br />lJe1rver I, the United States claimed rt'-
<br />aerved water rights to maintain instream
<br />/lows in seven national forests. Relying on
<br />Now Mexico, we rejected the United States'
<br />claim for water rights to preserve instream
<br />flows, and held: (I) that the United States
<br />does not have reserved in.stream flow
<br />
<br />~t/rq/tAr
<br />.18~d ".
<br />· outd40.
<br />IDatersh.,(
<br />.'08es. n.
<br />tared 10 6r
<br />terogatu".
<br />'natil>7lal
<br />'/fortlt i.
<br />erein shsIJ
<br />e iUrisd;,.
<br />Ie 8ei'el'l1
<br />nd fISh..
<br />g herein
<br />~ the us.
<br />'Ilroes of
<br />t the ....
<br />",ds not
<br />
<br />,.
<br />
<br />.. In Ntw Mexico, Justice Powell in dissent de.
<br />clared ehal "dle Uniled S18.lcS is not baITed from
<br />usening that riJbts to minimum instream nows
<br />might be necessary for erosion control or fire
<br />protection on the basis of the recognized pur.
<br />poses of watershed management and the main-
<br />tcnana of timber ," 438 US. at 724--25. 98 S.CI,
<br />at 3026 (Powell, J.. dissrnlina) (Citation omit-
<br />ted). However, the United States offered no
<br />evidence in N~ Me:r:ico to demonstrate that
<br />minimum instream flows were needed for lim.
<br />ber and watershed protection. Boles. EUiol,
<br />
<br />N
<br />o
<br />
<br />Colo. 497
<br />
<br />rights to protect eecreational, scenic, or
<br />wildlife values in the national forests, 656
<br />P.2d at 22-23, and (2) that the United
<br />States did not daim or prove that in.strearn
<br />flow rights were neeessary to achieve the
<br />national forest purposes of timber and wa-
<br />tershed protection, id. No appeal was tak-
<br />en by any party from our decision in Den-
<br />ver/.
<br />
<br />Ill.
<br />
<br />DlVlS10N TWO LmGATION
<br />In May 1979, the United States was
<br />joined as a party to a compoehensive adju-
<br />dication of water rights in Water Division
<br />No.2, which is comprised of all the lands in
<br />Colorado that lie in the drainage basins of
<br />the Arkansas and Dry eimanon rivers and
<br />streams tributary to those rivers. See
<br />A 37-92-201, 15 C.R.S. (1973). In Decem-
<br />ber of that year, the United States filed a
<br />general application for adjudication of all
<br />its reserved and appropriative water rights
<br />in Water Division No.2, which indudes
<br />land in the San Isabel and Pike National
<br />Forests. Owing to the complexity of the
<br />ease, the water court for Water Division
<br />No. 2 entered an order on December 9,
<br />1980, permitting the United States to file
<br />separate, specific applications supplement-
<br />ing the December 1979 general application
<br />for water rights, and ordered that each
<br />supplemental application would relate back
<br />to the date of the general application. The
<br />United States, pursuant to the order, filed
<br />nineteen supplemental applications in the
<br />water court claiming reserved water rights
<br />in the Pike and San Isabel National For-
<br />ests. In each supplemental application, the
<br />United States BOught adjudication of im-
<br />plied federal reserved water rights to main-
<br />
<br />51 U.Colo.Re'\I. at 229. Also in several rec:enl
<br />cases. the Unil~ Slates has failed 10 adduce
<br />sufficienl evidence 10 prove that minimum
<br />stream flows are necessary to achieve the nar.
<br />row purposes of the Organic Act. Su United
<br />SiDle "'. Alpine LAnd '" Rf!U'1VOi,. C~. 697 F .2d
<br />851,858-59 (9th Cir.), cerr. tknidt, 464 U.s.ll<\3,
<br />104 S.c.. 193, 78 LEd.td 17() (1983); United
<br />su."" v. Q'ty at Dmver, 656 P.2d 1,22-23 (Colo.
<br />t982); Avondale Irription District V. North Ida-
<br />I/o Properties, In<.. 99/daho 30, 39,577 P.2d 9,
<br />18 (1978).
<br />
<br />
|