Nazarenus Stack & Wombacher
NSWResources (14).png

Water Rights Resources

Water law is complex, nuanced, and can be difficult to understand. We delve into common water law concepts and provide tutorials that describe how it use publicly available tools to learn more about water rights. To this end, below are a series of articles that are designed to help parties develop a general understanding of some of the basic principles of water law. The information provided below is for educational purposes only and if you have specific questions about your water rights, please contact the attorneys at Nazarenus Stack & Wombacher for legal advice. Use of this information is explicitly subject the website disclaimer available here.

Structures Tutorial: How to Find Information for a Water Right by Name or Case Number

Finding information about your water rights can be difficult if you aren’t familiar with the resources maintained by the Colorado Department of Natural Resources. These tools can be accessed at https://dwr.state.co.us/tools.

The Structure Search tool is one of the best ways to find information when you already know the name of the water right or a water court case number for that water right.

Clicking on the “Structures” button shown above takes you to a search field. If you know the water division that the water right is located in we suggest that you select it from the drop-down menu shown below, so as to narrow your search results. We also recommend that you select “all” for both the “User Association” and “Structure Type” fields to ensure the best search results.

Next, use the “More Options” drop down menu to select the manner in which you would like to search the Structure database. We suggest using the “Case Number” or “Structure Name” options. When using the “Case Number” search option, please note that many case numbers appear in the following format: 25CW3104, with two numbers followed by “CW,” and then followed by 4 numbers. In the event that your case number only has less than 4 numbers after the “CW” you will need to add a “0” to ensure that the case number has 4 numbers after the “CW.” For example, Case No. 25CW14 will need to be entered as 25CW0014 in order to run a successful search.

As an example, we will run a structure name search for “Chatfield” to find the entry for Chatfield Reservoir. We will then click on “view” once we find the correct entry.

This will take us to the structure summary page for Chatfield Reservoir. Using the buttons at the top of the screen, you can navigate the available data to learn more about this water right. The “Diversion Records” link will provide information about the amount of water diverted by the structure. The “Water Rights” link will list the water rights associated with the structure and provide information about the decreed uses, priority date, and relevant water court case numbers. The “Imaged Documents” tab allows you to access water court documents related to this structure and information exchanged with the Office of the Colorado State Engineer. These documents can be valuable in understanding the scope and limitations of the water right and the history of its operation.

If you have specific questions about your water rights please reach out to any one of the experienced Water Attorneys at Nazarenus Stack & Wombacher LLC

William Wombacher