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.
159 notes - page 3 of 7
Water and land - June 10, 2026
Grape Creek below DeWeese carries a trout fishery into a rugged canyon
Grape Creek flows out of DeWeese Reservoir and supports brown and rainbow trout as it runs through remote canyon country, where fishing rules can differ by stretch.
Read note ->Water and land - June 10, 2026
Green Mountain Reservoir anchors the lower Blue River and its fall kokanee run
Green Mountain Reservoir in northern Summit County is a federal reservoir on the Blue River known for boating and a fall kokanee salmon run that draws anglers.
Read note ->Water and land - June 10, 2026
Greenland Open Space near Larkspur now sits beside North America's largest wildlife overpass
Greenland Open Space south of Larkspur offers about ten miles of open-prairie trail through pronghorn and elk country, now paired with the new I-25 Greenland wildlife overpass.
Read note ->Water and land - June 10, 2026
Harvey Gap is the quiet, small-boat lake near Silt
Harvey Gap State Park is a smaller, calmer reservoir near Silt where boating is limited to low-horsepower craft, with a swim beach, fishing, and a seasonal boating closure in winter.
Read note ->Water and land - June 10, 2026
Highline Lake and the zebra mussel: why your boat gets inspected
Highline Lake State Park near Loma is treated as an infested water for aquatic nuisance species, so boats are inspected and may be decontaminated when they launch and leave.
Read note ->Water and land - June 10, 2026
Hot Sulphur Springs is named for warm water that rises along faults and cracks in the rock
The town of Hot Sulphur Springs takes its name from natural hot springs that surface where deep-warmed water finds a path up through faults and permeable zones to the Colorado River valley.
Read note ->Water and land - June 10, 2026
Huerfano and Cucharas water is part of the Arkansas Basin
The Huerfano and Cucharas rivers feed the Arkansas Basin, and water here is managed under Colorado's priority system in Water Division 2, so land and water rights are separate questions.
Read note ->Water and land - June 10, 2026
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 - June 10, 2026
In Chaffee County, a well sits inside the Arkansas River basin's rules
Wells around Salida and Buena Vista fall under the state's Water Division 2, which administers the Arkansas River basin, so a well permit comes with conditions rather than unlimited water.
Read note ->Water and land - June 10, 2026
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.
Read note ->Water and land - June 10, 2026
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 - June 10, 2026
In Delta County orchard country, irrigation water is its own question
Many Delta County orchard, vineyard, and pasture properties carry ditch or canal irrigation water that is separate from the household water at the tap.
Read note ->Water and land - June 10, 2026
In Dolores County, dryland and irrigated ground are not the same buy
Much of the farmland around Dove Creek is dryland, raised on rain and snow alone, while irrigated ground depends on a separate water supply that may or may not come with the parcel.
Read note ->Water and land - June 10, 2026
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.
Read note ->Water and land - June 10, 2026
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.
Read note ->Water and land - June 10, 2026
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.
Read note ->Water and land - June 10, 2026
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 - June 10, 2026
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 - June 10, 2026
In Montezuma Valley, much of the irrigation water comes from one big project
A lot of farm and ranch water around Cortez is delivered through the Dolores Project from McPhee Reservoir, which is separate from a home's drinking water.
Read note ->Water and land - June 10, 2026
In Morgan County, river water and tap water are two different things
Many Morgan County farms and acreages depend on South Platte irrigation water that is separate from the household water serving the house.
Read note ->Water and land - June 10, 2026
In North Park, the North Platte River starts here and water is administered by Division 6
The North Platte River gathers in the North Park basin, and water rights in Jackson County are administered by the state's Water Division 6 office.
Read note ->Water and land - June 10, 2026
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.
Read note ->Water and land - June 10, 2026
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.
Read note ->Water and land - June 10, 2026
In Saguache County, many farm wells belong to a groundwater subdistrict
Most non-exempt wells in the San Luis Valley part of Saguache County must either operate under an augmentation plan or belong to a water management subdistrict that remedies the harm their pumping causes to streams and the aquifer.
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