Water Rights & Litigation Support Projects
Water Rights Acquisition: Individual Water Users
Mesa, Delta, Montrose, Gunnison, Garfield, Rio Blanco, & Moffat Counties, Colorado Individual water users such as ranchers and residential property owners routinely rely on Western Water & Land for the hydrologic services required to support water rights applications. When necessary, hydrology reports are prepared to support applications requiring requests for approval of plans for augmentation. Read more... |
Water Rights Acquisition & Plans for Augmentation: Sand & Gravel Mines
Mesa, Montrose, La Plata, Garfield, Moffat, Eagle, & Pitkin Counties, Colorado Western Water & Land provides the technical services required to obtain and manage water rights in connection with sand and gravel mining operations throughout Water Divisions 4, 5, 6, and 7. These projects are commonly initiated by working with our clients and their legal counsels to develop the optimum strategies for management of water associated with mine operations. Read more... |
Plan for Augmentation: Community Water System
Hubbard Park, Colorado Western Water & Land prepared a plan for augmentation for a community water system supporting 19 summer cabins. Domestic water is supplied to the cabins by two separate springs, both of which are tributary to a creek that is over-appropriated and frequently subject to call by a senior downstream water user. The plan for augmentation was required to avoid curtailment of diversions from the springs for the community water system. Read more... |
Water Rights Due Diligence & Demand Evaluation
Parker Basin Ranch, Mesa County, Colorado Western Water & Land was retained to provide water rights due diligence support for acquisition of a 3,000-acre ranch in Mesa County, Colorado. Water rights associated with the property were evaluated to ensure the legal and physical availability of the water was sufficient to meet the irrigation demands at the ranch. Because a conservation easement had been established at the ranch, the irrigation demand evaluation included the irrigation water requirements needed to protect wildlife habitats at the ranch. Read more... |
Diligence & New Water Right Application
Sinbad Valley, Mesa and Montrose Counties, Colorado Western Water & Land compiled the technical information required for two diligence applications and one new water right application for a large ranch spanning the boundary between Mesa and Montrose Counties, Colorado. One of the diligence applications involved two horizontal wells constructed in a ridge above the ranch. The wells are decreed for irrigation, domestic, and power generation. Read more... |
Water Rights & Plan for Augmentation
Luxury Guest Ranch, Crawford, Colorado Western Water & Land provided the technical services required to complete an application for storage rights, surface water rights, appropriative right of exchange, and a request for approval of a plan for augmentation for a luxury guest ranch in Crawford, Colorado. Our services included onsite reconnaissance to map and inspect surface water and storage structures at the ranch, including the spring supplying potable water to the facility, irrigation diversions, and seven ponds used for fishing and other recreational purposes. Read more... |
Water Rights Applications & Plan for Augmentation: Golf Course
Montrose, Colorado Western Water & Land provides water rights technical support for a golf course located in Montrose, Colorado. Our firm has prepared the technical documentation required to support two separate water rights applications and is currently preparing an application for an amended Plan for Augmentation for the golf course. The first application was a request to make conditional rights absolute and findings of diligence for 11 lakes at the golf course. Read more... |
Water Rights Protection: Statements of Opposition
Rio Blanco County, Colorado Western Water & Land was retained by local ranchers to provide technical support in two separate water rights cases in which the ranchers had filed Statements of Opposition to water rights applications filed within the Piceance Creek Basin in Rio Blanco County, Colorado. The Piceance Creek Basin is over-appropriated with limited replacement options and competing demands between local irrigators and increasing energy exploration and production pressures. Read more... |
Expert Report & Testimony: Conservation Land Trust
Mesa County, Colorado Western Water & Land was retained by a regional land trust organization to provide litigation support for a dispute between the land trust and the former owner of a ranch at which a conservation easement had been created several years prior. The conservation easement was established to ensure winter habitat and forage for wildlife in the area. Read more... |
Expert Report & Testimony: Environmental Impact Assessment
Gunnison County, Colorado Western Water & Land was retained by Gunnison County to provide litigation support services in relation to a case involving the construction of a 1.2-mile long road adjacent to an active stream channel without the required county permits. The County was concerned that the road building actions taken by the landowner was causing adverse environmental impacts and that mitigative measures were required to reduce those impacts. Read more... |
Expert Testimony: Water Rights - Referee Ruling Protest
Mesa County, Colorado One of Western Water & Land’s Principals provided expert testimony before the Water Judge in Water Division 5 in support of a protest filed against a referee’s ruling in a water rights acquisition case involving one of our clients. The protest involved the Referee’s ruling regarding implementation of a plan for augmentation prepared by Western Water & Land in support of our client’s water rights application. Read more... |