Opinion ID: 2629194
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: introduction

Text: In this water case, the State Water Engineer ordered the City of Golden to stop diverting water from Clear Creek at the Church Ditch during a river call in the drought year of 2002. Golden sought to prevent enforcement of the order by immediately moving for a temporary restraining order (TRO), a preliminary injunction, and a permanent injunction against the state. The state, in turn, orally requested an injunction to enforce its cease-and-desist order. After a full-day hearing, the water judge held that Golden did not have a valid right to the water it had been diverting at the Church Ditch and ordered Golden to comply with the state's order to enforce the conditions of a 1966 change of water right decree. Consequently, the judge denied the TRO and dismissed Golden's request for preliminary and permanent injunctions. Golden makes two arguments as to how the water court erred. First, Golden claims that it has valid rights to the water, and should not have had to stop diverting. Second, Golden asserts that regardless of the merits, the court prematurely dismissed the case after simply holding a hearing on the TRO, and instead should have conducted another hearing involving the permanent injunction. We reject both of Golden's arguments. The 1966 change decree that established Golden's rights is unambiguous and, under it, Golden does not have rights to the water it claims. Consequently, the water court was correct in dismissing Golden's complaint.