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No Seat At The Water Table: Colorado's New Groundwater Basin Statute Leaves Senior Surface Rights In The Lurch, Ari J. Stiller-Shulman

University of Colorado Law Review

Wells that pump water from underground aquifers deplete water flowing in nearby rivers and streams. Colorado farmers in certain parts of the state use wells to pump large quantities of underground water for irrigation. However, other users who had pre-existing surface-water rights on nearby streams have complained that these wells drain the river and injure their prior vested water rights. Normally, surface water users with prior rights can require more junior users to stop appropriating until the senior user has diverted her full right. However, Colorado presumes that wells in certain districts-called designated basins-do not injure nearby surface streams. Still, …