In Montezuma Valley, much of the irrigation water comes from one big project

Around Cortez and the wider Montezuma Valley, a property can have two very different kinds of water, and it helps to keep them straight.

One is the household water that comes out of the tap, from a town system, a district, or a well. The other is irrigation water. A large share of the farm and pasture water in this area moves through the Dolores Project, which stores water in McPhee Reservoir and sends it out through canals and pipelines. That project water usually comes as an allocation tied to the land, with its own schedule and rules. It greens up fields and orchards. It is not the same as drinking water, and having it does not mean the home has plenty of domestic supply.

Why a buyer should care: a listing that mentions “irrigation” or “project water” may be describing water for the land, not the house. In a dry corner of the state, the amount and reliability of that water can change from year to year. Each kind of water has to be checked on its own.

Confirm the household water and the irrigation water separately, using the state water agency and the local water provider or conservancy district.