Topic
Water and land
Wells and water rights, septic and rural land, mineral rights, and what it really means to own ground in a place where water is its own kind of property.
Start with the statewide rule
Use the main guide for the broad Colorado answer. Then move into a county or local note when the rule depends on the place.
Find this topic in a county
A county page keeps the local notes and official checks together.
Local notes
From around Colorado
329 sourced notes in this topic
Water and land
In Crowley County, much of the farm water was sold off the land long ago
Much of Crowley County's irrigation water was sold to cities decades ago, so a parcel that once farmed may no longer carry the water it used to.
Read note ->Water and land
In Douglas County, a lot of water comes from deep bedrock aquifers
Much of Douglas County draws drinking water from the layered Denver Basin bedrock aquifers, a supply the state treats differently from a mountain stream.
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In Kiowa County, much of the water under the land comes from High Plains aquifers
Much of Kiowa County draws groundwater from the Ogallala and other High Plains and alluvial aquifers, and a well is permitted and limited by the state, not unlimited.
Read note ->Water and land
In La Plata County, groundwater is not the same everywhere
Whether a La Plata County property can rely on a domestic well depends heavily on the local geology, which varies a lot across the county.
Read note ->Water and land
In Phillips County, wells sit in a designated groundwater basin
Most of Phillips County lies in a state-designated groundwater basin, where wells are administered differently than wells in the rest of Colorado.
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In the lower Arkansas Valley, farm water can be bought and moved away
In Bent County and the rest of the lower Arkansas Valley, irrigation water rights have long been sold to Front Range cities, which changes what a farm property can grow.
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In the San Luis Valley, a well comes with groundwater rules
Wells in the Rio Grande Basin around Alamosa fall under state groundwater rules that can require a well to replace the water it pumps, often through a subdistrict or an augmentation plan.
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In the San Luis Valley, a well in Conejos County comes with groundwater rules
Wells in the San Luis Valley fall under state groundwater rules and groundwater management subdistricts that affect pumping, so a well in Conejos County is not simply unlimited water.
Read note ->Water and land
A well in the Jeffco mountains is not the same as a city tap
Many homes in Jefferson County's mountain areas rely on a permitted well, and the type of permit and what it allows depend on where the property sits.
Read note ->Water and land
In Baca County, well water mostly comes from the ground, not a river
Much of Baca County depends on groundwater rather than surface streams, so a well permit and the aquifer beneath a property are worth understanding before you buy.
Read note ->Water and land
In Elbert County, the water under your feet is the Denver Basin
Much of Elbert County depends on groundwater pumped from the layered bedrock aquifers of the Denver Basin, not from rivers or a big city pipeline.
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In Rio Grande County, an irrigation well comes with valley groundwater rules
Wells that pump groundwater for irrigation in Rio Grande County fall under the state's Division 3 well rules and may need to be covered by a Rio Grande water district subdistrict plan.
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In Saguache County, many farm wells belong to a groundwater subdistrict
Many larger San Luis Valley wells need an augmentation plan or water subdistrict membership to offset pumping impacts.
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In Yuma County, groundwater comes with the Republican River Compact
Most irrigation in Yuma County draws on the Ogallala Aquifer in a basin governed by an interstate compact, so pumping here is administered, not unlimited.
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Old mines still shape the water in Clear Creek
Clear Creek County's mining past left behind a federal cleanup site, and treated mine drainage is part of how water quality is managed along Clear Creek today.
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On Moffat County acreage, a well may need an augmentation plan
The Yampa River basin is administered for water rights, so a well on a small Moffat County parcel may not let you water more than the house without an extra supply of water.
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Out here, your water likely comes from a designated groundwater basin
Much of Kit Carson County sits over a designated groundwater basin, where wells are permitted under a different state process than wells in the rest of Colorado.
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Parts of Lincoln County sit in designated groundwater basins
Lincoln County overlaps Colorado's Northern High Plains and Upper Big Sandy designated groundwater basins, where wells are administered differently than wells in the rest of the state.
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Selling a Gilpin County home? The septic system has its own step
In unincorporated Gilpin County, the septic system on a property is inspected and permitted on its own track, separate from the house sale.
Read note ->Water and land
Soaking above the world's deepest measured hot spring
Pagosa Springs sits above the Mother Spring, a geothermal spring so deep that the plumb line never found the bottom, and you can soak in the riverside pools it feeds.
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In Costilla County, a well sits inside the San Luis Valley's water rules
Wells in Costilla County are part of the San Luis Valley's managed groundwater system, where what a well owes depends on its permit, its aquifer, and the state's basin rules.
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In Gilpin County, your well permit tells you what your water can do
Many Gilpin County mountain properties have their own private well, and the well permit spells out exactly how that water may be used.
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The Arkansas through Chaffee County is Gold Medal trout water
A long stretch of the Arkansas River through Chaffee County is designated Gold Medal Water for trout, and fishing rules and access come through Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
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The San Miguel River carries water rights, not just scenery
The San Miguel River runs the length of the county and is governed by Colorado water rights, so river frontage on a parcel does not by itself grant a right to use the water.
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