General stream adjudications are judicial proceedings to determine the extent and priority of water rights in an entire river system. Arizona is undertaking general stream adjudication of the Gila River and the Little Colorado River systems. A river system means all water appropriable by law and all water subject to claims based upon federal law.
Priority is important in Arizona where times of drought occur with frequency.
An early priority date means the user gets his or her amount of water before others with later priority dates. Thousands of water users and claimants are involved in these proceedings that are pending before the Arizona Superior Court in Maricopa County and Apache County. The Superior Court will issue comprehensive final decrees defining the water rights for the Gila River and Little Colorado River systems. We welcome your comments and suggestions for new postings on these pages. Our goal is to maintain a Web site that presents maximum information for the use and convenience of parties, attorneys, and the public.