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. The water rights associated with the ranch included direct flow rights from nearby streams, irrigation company shares, reservoir company shares, and shares in the Collbran Conservancy District.
Following purchase of the ranch, the new owner subdivided the ranch in accordance with the requirements of the conservation easement into 400 to 600 acres parcels. To support the subdivision, Western Water & Land developed a plan to equitably divide the ranch water rights among the parcels. The plan considered the irrigation demands for each parcel and took into account areas of the ranch where water demands were supplied in part by shallow groundwater through sub-irrigation. The plan was approved by the ranch owner and the buyers of the subdivided parcels.
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. The water rights associated with the ranch included direct flow rights from nearby streams, irrigation company shares, reservoir company shares, and shares in the Collbran Conservancy District.
Following purchase of the ranch, the new owner subdivided the ranch in accordance with the requirements of the conservation easement into 400 to 600 acres parcels. To support the subdivision, Western Water & Land developed a plan to equitably divide the ranch water rights among the parcels. The plan considered the irrigation demands for each parcel and took into account areas of the ranch where water demands were supplied in part by shallow groundwater through sub-irrigation. The plan was approved by the ranch owner and the buyers of the subdivided parcels.