MATTER OF BD. OF CTY. COM'RS

No. 92SA68.

891 P.2d 952 (1995)

In The Matter of the Application for Water Rights of the BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF the COUNTY OF ARAPAHOE, in Gunnison County. The BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF the COUNTY OF ARAPAHOE, Applicant-Appellant/Cross-Appellee, v. UNITED STATES of America; Crystal Creek Homeowners Association and Ernest H. Cockrell; Colorado Wildlife Federation, Gunnison Angling Society, High Country Citizens' Alliance, National Wildlife Federation, Rainbow Services, Inc. and Western Colorado Congress; and Upper Gunnison River Water Conservancy District and Board of County Commissioners of Gunnison County, Colorado, Objector-Appellees/Cross-Appellants, v. COLORADO RIVER WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT; Henry J. Berryhill, Jr.; City of Delta; City of Montrose; City of Grand Junction; City of Gunnison; Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, Inc.; Crested Butte Water and Sanitation District; Perkins D. Sams; East River at Almont Property Owners Association; Gunnison County Electric Association; Murdie Homeowners' Association, Inc.; Mr. and Mrs. Charles Reeder; Virgil and Lee Spann Ranches, Inc.; State Engineer; State Board of Land Commissioners; Three Rivers Resort, Inc.; Uncompahgre Valley Water Users Association; Joseph P. Vader, Raymond P. Van Tuyl, Charles Richard Collard, Thomas E. Collard and Taylor Park Pool Association; and Wapiti Canyon Ranch, Ltd., Objector-Appellees, and Keith Kepler, Division Engineer, Water Division 4, Appellee Pursuant to C.A.R. 1(e).

Supreme Court of Colorado, En Banc.

As Modified on Denial of Rehearing April 10, 1995.


Attorney(s) appearing for the Case

Vranesh and Raisch, P.C., John R. Henderson, Paul J. Zilis, Boulder, for applicant-appellant/cross-appellee.

Lois J. Shiffer, Acting Asst. Atty. Gen., U.S. Dept. of Justice, Robert L. Klarquist, Andrew C. Mergen, Appellate Section, Environment & Natural Resources Div., Washington, DC, Michael A. Gheleta, Lynn A. Johnson, U.S. Dept. of Justice, Environment & Natural Resources Div., Denver, for objector-appellee/cross-appellant U.S.

Brownstein Hyatt Farber & Strickland, P.C., Charles B. White, Wayne F. Forman, Denver, for objector-appellees/cross-appellants Crystal Creek Homeowners Ass'n and Ernest H. Cockrell.

David H. Getches, Roger Flynn, Bruce C. Driver, Boulder, for objector-appellees/cross-appellants Colorado Wildlife Federation, Gunnison Angling Soc., High Country Citizens' Alliance, and Western Colorado Congress.

Thomas Lustig, Boulder, for objector-appellee/cross-appellant Nat. Wildlife Federation.

Bruce C. Driver, Boulder, for objector-appellee/cross-appellant Rainbow Service.

Bratton and McClow, L. Richard Bratton, John H. McClow, Gunnison, Williams, Turner & Holmes, P.C., Anthony W. Williams, Grand Junction, for objector-appellee/cross appellant Upper Gunnison River Water Conservancy Dist.

David Baumgarten, Gunnison, for objector-appellee/cross-appellant Bd. of County Com'rs of Gunnison County.

Donald H. Hamburg, Glenwood Springs, for objector-appellee Colorado River Water Conservation Dist.

John F. Kappa, Montrose, for objector-appellees City of Delta and City of Montrose.

Dufford, Waldeck, Milburn & Krohn, Linda E. White, Grand Junction, Grimshaw & Harring, P.C., Wayne B. Schroeder, Denver, for objector-appellee City of Grand Junction.

Collins & Cockrel, P.C., Timothy J. Beaton, Denver, for objector-appellee City of Gunnison.

Moses, Wittemyer, Harrison and Woodruff, P.C., Charles N. Woodruff, Steven P. Jeffers, Mary Jo Menendez, Boulder, Van C. Wilgus, Denver, for objector-appellee Tri-State Generation and Transmission Ass'n, Inc.

Kenneth L. Spann, Almont, for objector-appellee Virgil and Lee Spann Ranches, Inc.

Gale A. Norton, Atty. Gen., Stephen K. ErkenBrack, Chief Deputy Atty. Gen., Timothy M. Tymkovich, Sol. Gen., Patricia S. Bangert, Deputy Atty. Gen., Jennifer L. Gimbel, First Asst. Atty. Gen., Steven O. Sims, Asst. Atty. Gen., Denver, for objector-appellee State Engineer, Appellee Keith Kepler, Div. Engineer, Water Div. 4, and amicus curiae Colorado Conservation Bd.

John E. Kreidler, Montrose, for objector-appellee Uncompahgre Valley Water Users Ass'n.

White & Jankowski, Bruce D. Bernard, Austin C. Hamre, Scotty P. Krob, Denver, for amicus curiae City of Thornton.

Office of Douglas County Atty., J. Mark Hannen, Castle Rock, for amicus curiae The Bd. of County Com'rs of Douglas County.

Maynes, Bradford, Shipps & Sheftel, Frank E. "Sam" Maynes, Thomas H. Shipps, Durango, for amicus curiae Southwestern Water Conservation Dist.

Hobbs, Trout & Raley, P.C., Gregory J. Hobbs, Jr., Bennett W. Raley, Denver, for amicus curiae Northern Colorado Water Conservancy Dist. and its Municipal Subdistrict.

Anderson, Johnson & Gianunzio, Mark T. Pifher, Jonathan C. Dehmlow, Colorado Springs, for amicus curiae City of Colorado Springs.

No appearance on behalf of objector-appellees Henry J. Berryhill, Jr., Crested Butte Water and Sanitation Dist., Perkins D. Sams, East River at Almont Property Owners Ass'n, Gunnison County Elec. Ass'n, Murdie Homeowners' Ass'n, Inc., Mr. and Mrs. Charles Reeder, State Bd. of Land Com'rs, Three Rivers Resort, Inc., Joseph P. Vader, Raymond P. Van Tuyl, Charles Richard Collard, Thomas E. Collard, Taylor Park Pool Ass'n; and Wapiti Canyon Ranch, Ltd.


Justice ERICKSON delivered the Opinion of the Court.

The Board of County Commissioners for Arapahoe County (Arapahoe County) appeals from a judgment of the District Court, Water Division 4 (water court), dismissing Arapahoe County's applications for conditional water rights decrees in the Gunnison Basin. We affirm the water court's dismissal of the application for a conditional water rights decree that Arapahoe County purchased from the National Energy Resources Company...

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