Opinion ID: 2613155
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: the twin lakes decision

Text: The Twin Lakes Reservoir and Canal Company (the Company) operated the Independence Pass Transmountain Diversion System, which diverts water from streams constituting the headwaters of the Roaring Fork River in Western Colorado through a tunnel to the Arkansas River Basin in Eastern Colorado. See Twin Lakes Reservoir & Canal Co. v. City of Aspen, 192 Colo. 209, 557 P.2d 825 (1976) ( Twin Lakes I ). Prior to the 1970s, the Company had an absolute right to use 54,458 acre-feet of water annually for irrigation of agricultural areas. In Twin Lakes I, the Company filed an application for additional conditional water rights from various streams in Western Colorado to ensure that `it has a decreed right to all water which it can physically gather for diversion through its [t]unnel.' Id. at 212, 557 P.2d at 827 (quoting the water court ruling). This court reversed the water court ruling denying the Company's application for additional conditional water rights. Id. at 215, 557 P.2d at 829. In Twin Lakes Reservoir and Canal Co. v. City of Aspen, 193 Colo. 478, 568 P.2d 45 (1977) ( Twin Lakes II ), the case upon which the City of Thornton presently relies, the Company filed an application for a change of use of the previously decreed water rights. Id. at 481, 568 P.2d at 48. The original decree permitted the Company to use the water for irrigation. The Company, however, sought to use the water for irrigation, domestic, commercial, industrial, municipal, and all beneficial uses. Id. at 482, 568 P.2d at 48. The City of Aspen and the Colorado River Water Conservation District, among others, objected to the change in use. After entering into a stipulation with the Company, however, the District withdrew its objection. Id. at 481, 568 P.2d at 48. The stipulation provided that the transmountain diversions would be limited to 68,000 acre-feet annually. The water court incorporated the provisions of the stipulation into a decree which granted the Company's application. On appeal, the objectors argued that: II. The right to change the use of a conditional water right is limited by the extent of its use before the change, insofar as the conditional aspects have been completed, and by the extent of its use contemplated at the time of the original appropriation, that which would have resulted if completed and used as intended at the time of the original appropriation, insofar as the conditional aspects have not been completed. .... IV. The terms and conditions imposed with the water court do not adequately protect other appropriators and users of water rights from injury. Id. at 482, 568 P.2d at 48. We first reviewed the water court rulings. We noted that, with respect to the question of draft on the stream contemplated at the time of the original appropriation, the water court ruled as follows: Since the contemplated draft of the original appropriation ranged from 40,000 to 80,000 [acre-feet] per annum, and since the actual need for IPTDS water existed, and still exists, on the Project Lands greater than 60,000 [acre-feet]..., it is clear that the change [in use] decree sought by the [Company] does not involve an expanded use over that contemplated in 1936. Accordingly, the court concludes that the change sought does not amount to an enlarged use over the original appropriation. Id. at 484, 568 P.2d at 49. We subsequently stated, In the consideration of change of points of diversion and of use, we are accustomed generally to situations in which the water remains in the same watershed. In such cases, two of the primary factors to be considered are any change in the consumptive use of the water and any change in return flow to the stream from irrigation. Id. at 484, 568 P.2d at 50. We found, insofar as the Western Colorado water users were concerned, that there was a 100% consumptive use once the water passed into the transmountain diversion tunnel. Id. We found that there was a single issue to be considered in that appeal: whether the objectors would be injured because more IPTDS water will go through the tunnel and be lost to Western Colorado under the municipal use than would be the case in the future without the change of use. Id. at 485, 568 P.2d at 50. We concluded that the objectors would not be injured by the Company's future change in use. In so holding, we emphasized the fact that the parties had stipulated to a decreed annual operating limit. Id. We thus affirmed the judgment of the water court granting the Company's application for a change of use.