SIMPSON v. BIJOU IRRIGATION CO.

No. 02SA377.

69 P.3d 50 (2003)

In The Matter Of The Proposed Amended Rules And Regulations Governing The Diversion And Use Of Tributary Ground Water In The South Platte Basin, Colorado: Hal D. SIMPSON, State Engineer, Appellants, v. BIJOU IRRIGATION CO.; Bijou Irrigation District; Ducommun Business Trust; Farmers Highline Canal & Reservoir Company; City of Lafayette; Mountain Mutual Reservoir Co; City of Westminster; Varra Companies, Inc.; Sand Land Inc.; Pasquale Varra; Centennial Water and Sanitation District; City of Boulder; Center of Colorado Water Conservancy District; Peterson Ditch Co.; City of Brighton; City of Aurora; City of Englewood; Magness Land Holdings, LLC.; Magness Platteville, LLC; Kplattevill LLC; South Reservation Ditch Co.; Central Colorado Water Conservancy District and the Ground Water Management Subdistrict of the Central Water Conservancy District; Lower South Platte Water Conservancy District; City of Greeley; Fort Morgan Reservoir & Irrigation Co.; North Sterling Irrigation District; the Harmony Ditch Co.; Jackson Lake Reservoir and Irrigation Co.; Anderson Ditch Co.; Fort Morgan Water Co., Ltd; Liddle Ditch Co; City and County of Denver; Farmers Reservoir & Irrigation Co; Henrylyn Irrigation District; Groundwater Appropriators of the South Platte River Basin, Inc.; Riverside Irrigation District; Riverside Reservoir and Land Company; Lower Platte & Beaver Canal Company; Highland Ditch Company; Water Users Association of District No. 6; City of Sterling; Bruce Gerk and Donald Sellman Shareholders In Petersen Ditch Company and Julesburg Irrigation District; City of Thornton; City of Blackhawk, Appellees.

Supreme Court of Colorado, En Banc.

As Modified on Denial of Rehearing May 27, 2003.


Attorney(s) appearing for the Case

Ken Salazar, Colorado Attorney General, Felicity Hannay, Deputy Attorney General, Steven O. Sims, Assistant Attorney General, Carol Angel, Assistant Attorney General, Alexandra Davis, Assistant Attorney General, Chad M. Wallace, Assistant Attorney General, Federal and Interstate Water Unit, Natural Resources and Environment Section, Denver, Colorado, for Appellant Hal D. Simpson.

Vranesh & Raisch, LLP, Michael D. Shimmin, Lisa C. Ledet, Boulder, Colorado, for Appellee Bijou Irrigation Company and Bijou Irrigation District.

White & Jankowski, LLP, David C. Taussig, William A. Hillhouse, II, David F. Jankowski, Denver, Colorado, for Appellee Ducommun Business Trust and City of Sterling.

Brice Steele, Brighton, Colorado, for Appellee Farmers' High Line Canal and Reservoir Company.

David C. Lindholm, Boulder, Colorado, for Appellee City of Lafayette & Mountain Mutual Reservoir Company.

Carlson, Hammond & Paddock, LLC, Mary Mead Hammond, Lee H. Johnson, Denver, Colorado, for Appellee City of Westminster.

Petrock & Fendel, PC, Frederick A. Fendel, III, Bill Downey, Denver, Colorado, for Appellees Varra Companies, Inc., Sand Land, Inc., and Pasquale Varra.

Moses, Wittemyer, Harrison and Woodruff, PC, Veronica A. Sperling, Gabriel D. Carter, Boulder, Colorado, for Appellees Centennial Water and Sanitation District, and City of Boulder.

Felt, Monson & Culichia, LLC, James W. Culichia, James G. Felt, Colorado Springs, Colorado, for Appellee The Center of Colorado Water Conservancy District.

Fischer, Brown & Gunn, PC, William H. Brown, Fort Collins, Colorado, for Appellee The City of Brighton.

Duncan, Ostrander & Dingess, PC, John M. Dingess, James Birch, Denver, Colorado, for Appellee City of Aurora Acting by and through its Utility Enterprise.

Berg Hill Greenleaf & Ruscitti LLP, David G. Hill, Melissa M. Heidman, Boulder, Colorado, for Appellee City of Englewood.

Robert E. Schween, Littleton, Colorado, for Appellee Magness Land Holdings, LLC.

Lind Lawrence & Ottenhoff LLP, Kim Lawrence, Greeley, Colorado, for Appellees South Reservation Ditch Company; Central Colorado Water Conservancy District and The Ground Water Management Subdistrict of the Central Colorado Water Conservancy District; Lower South Plate Water Conservancy District.

Trout, Witwer & Freeman, PC, James S. Witwer, Douglas M. Sinor, Denver, Colorado, for Appellee City of Greeley Acting by and Through its Water and Sewer Board.

Timothy R. Buchanan, Arvada, Colorado, for Appellees Fort Morgan Reservoir & Irrigation Company; North Sterling Irrigation District; The Harmony Ditch Company; Jackson Lake Reservoir and Irrigation Co.; Anderson Ditch Company; Fort Morgan Water Company LTD; Liddle Ditch Company.

Michael L. Walker, Denver Water Board, Patricia L. Wells, Assistant Denver City Attorney, Denver, Colorado, for Appellee City and County of Denver.

John P. Akolt, III, Brighton, Colorado, for Appellee Farmers Reservoir & Irrigation Company.

Steve L. Janssen, Boulder, Colorado, for Appellee Henrylyn Irrigation District.

Hill & Robbins PC, David W. Robbins, David M. Montgomery, Avi S. Rocklin, Mark J. Wagner, Denver, Colorado, for Appellees Groundwater Appropriations of the South Platte River Basin Inc., Riverside Irrigation District; Riverside Reservoir and Land Company; Lower Platte & Beaver Canal Company.

Bernard, Gaddis Lyons, & Kahn P.C., Wendy S. Rudnik, Jeffery J. Kahn, Longmont, Colorado, for Appellees Highland Ditch Company; Water Users Association of District No. 6.

Bruce Gerk and Donald Spillman, Pro Se as Shareholders in Appellees Petersen Ditch Company and Julesburg Irrigation District, Denver, Colorado.

Dennis A. Hansen, Assistant City Attorney, Thornton, Colorado, for Appellee City of Thornton.

Harvey W. Curtis, David L. Kueter, Patricia A. Madsen, Denver, Colorado, for Appellee City of Blackhawk.

Merrill, Anderson, King & Harris, LLC, Paul G. Anderson, Colorado Springs, Colorado, for Amicus Curiae Arkansas Groundwater Users Association.

MacDougall Woldridge & Worley PC, Malcom E. MacDougall, Colorado Springs, Colorado, for Amicus Curiae Colorado Water Protective & Development Association.

Burns, Figa & Will PC, Lee E. Miller, Stephen H. Leonhardt, Englewood, Colorado, for Amicus Curiae Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District.


Justice RICE delivered the Opinion of the Court.

I. INTRODUCTION

On May 31, 2002, the State Engineer filed with the water court his proposed "Amended Rules and Regulations Governing the Diversion and Use of Tributary Ground Water in the South Platte River Basin, Colorado." His stated intent for promulgating these rules was twofold: first, to provide for replacement of injurious out-of-priority groundwater depletions...

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