Transcript No Slide Title

Law School for Journalists
Colorado Bar Association
Ken Knox
Division of Water Resources
March 13, 2007
COLORADO
HISTORIC AVERAGE ANNUAL STREAM FLOWS
(acre feet)
111,800
414,300
404,600
265,800
99,500
1,127,000
875,600
1,531,000
YAMPA
634,500
WHITE
158,800
334,400
6
45,590
54,760
476,300
229,200
555,200
27,700
50,050
BLUE
1
33,760
413,200
EAGLE
5
NORTH FORK
REPUBLICAN
204,400
329,200
185,200
31,680
404,400
85,540
28,750
270,500
879,800
ROARING
FORK
COLORADO
At Benkelman, NE
126,800
58,146
88,051
2,799,000
63,038
279,70
0
4,500,000
330,500
547,300
1,872,000
505,600
943,000
528,200
699,200
219,800
GUNNISON
125,100
TOMICHI
172,000
89,820
164,200
4
26,930
3
24,933
394,300
HUERFANO 18,970
653,300
153,000
47,020
96,300
313,200
7
37,100
2
69,750
EAST TOWARD ATLANTIC OCEAN 1,373,000 af
WEST TOWARD PACIFIC OCEAN 8,867,450 af
311,100
403,400
593,600
McELMO
291,20
0
31,890
36,890
25,580
670,100
152,600
173,700
268,600
446,900
+
291,200
49,640
CONEJOS
322,100
235,800
94,180
Prepared by the Hydrographic Branch (2003 Revision)
Historic averages obtained from USGS Water-Data Report CO-02
TOTAL LEAVING COLORADO 10,240,500 af
OFFICE OF THE STATE ENGINEER
COLORADO DIVISION OF WATER RESOURCES
2000 Population
Irrigated Acres and Flows
1,530,000 YAMPA
560,000
4,500,000
400,000
310,000 110,000
N.
LARAMIE
PLATTE
SOUTH PLATTE
WHITE
COLORADO
510,000
164,000
Irrigated
Acres:
880,000
SAN
JUAN
WEST SLOPE
Population:
467,000
1,780,000
EAST SLOPE
Population:
3,869,000
320,000
Irrigated
Acres:
2,270,000
Water Management and
Allocation
Water Rights
– Surface water rights from rivers and streams
– Reservoir storage rights
– Ground water rights
Interstate River Compacts
Colorado’s Water Right System
Colorado uses the Prior Appropriation Doctrine
which means those that first put water to use
are entitled to get their water first during
periods of water shortage. In Colorado water is
a separate property right - that is it can be sold
separately from the land. This is in contrast to
the Riparian Doctrine that exists in the eastern
part of the United States which recognizes water
rights as being attached to the land.
Water Administration
• Water Allocation
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
173,000 Water Rights
105,000 Structures
400,000 observations
30,000 water diversions and storage records
1500 court consultations
50 court litigation
420 subdivision review
217 Substitute Water Supply Plans
In 1879, Colorado established Water
Commissioners to distribute water rights
in priority based upon principle of
“First In Time... First In Right”
Reservoir Storage
Current Storage
(acre-feet)
Restricted Storage*
Total acre-feet (# Dams)
Division 1
1,787,810
33,900 (99)
Division 2
893,544
89,200 (31)
Division 3
297,261
9,700 (3)
Division 4
1,447,948
4,200 (28)
Division 5
1,166,040
2,990 (19)
Division 6
165,387
1,400 (11)
Division 7
665,356
1,460 (7)
6,423,345
142,850 (198)
Total
* August 20, 2002
•
•
1990 – 2001: 49 new dams with a combined storage of 120,000 acrefeet
Division 2: Two Buttes 31,500 AF and Cucharas 33,000 AF; very
expensive reconstruction necessary
Major Aquifer Systems
GROUND WATER USE
AQUIFER
AVERAGE ANNUAL SUPPLY
(Acre-Feet)
Denver Basin
80,000
South Platte Alluvium
600,000
Arkansas River Alluvium
150,000
San Luis Valley Aquifers
800,000
High Plains – Ogallala
Bedrock Aquifers – Mountains
TOTAL
1,000,000
70,000
2,700,000
18 States Rely on Colorado Water
Interstate Compacts
Colorado River Compact - 1922
La Plata River Compact - 1922
South Platte River Compact - 1923
Rio Grande River Compact - 1938
Republican River Compact - 1942
Costilla Creek Compact - 1944 (Rev. 1963)
Upper Colorado River Compact - 1948
Arkansas River Compact - 1948
Animas-La Plata Project Compact - 1969
U.S. Supreme Court Cases
Nebraska v. Wyoming - 325 U.S. 589 (1945)
Wyoming v. Colorado - 353 U.S. 953 (1957)
INTERNATIONAL AND INTERSTATE DOCUMENTS
AFFECTING COLORADO’S USE OF WATER
International Treaties
Mexican Treaty on Rio Grande, Tijuana,
and Colorado’s Rivers – 1945
1906 Convention with Mexico on the
Rio Grande above Ft. Quitman, Texas
STATE OF COLORADO INTERSTATE COMPACTS
Methods of Allocating Water Among States
1 Allocation of a portion of the long-term undepleted basin water supply
to each state on the basis of consumptive use (man-made depletions)
a Colorado River Compact - Acre-feet per year of depletions
b Republican River Compact - Acre-feet per year of depletions
2 Delivery of a portion of an indexed supply to the stateline
a Rio Grande Compact - Variable index and delivery obligation for
calendar year
b La Plata River Compact - One-half of indexed flow to stateline
the next day
3 Application of Doctrine of Prior Appropriation across stateline
a Costilla Creek Compact
b South Platte River Compact
Thank You
http://www.water.state.co.us/