Court Opinion

ID: 9790104
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-31 01:46:12.019113+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:37:26.128799
License: Public Domain

ON PETITIONS FOR REHEARING:
Certain parties have requested rehearing to argue the effect of legislation passed by the General Assembly subsequent to the issuance of our opinion in this case. We decline those requests but, on remand, direct the water judges to consider the applicability, validity and effect of those legislative enactments and their impact on our previous determination that the applications for nontributary ground water should be dismissed.
After the announcement of our opinion and while petitions for rehearing were pending, the Colorado legislature passed Senate Bill No. 439, and the Governor signed the new legislation on October 11, 1983. That act provides:
CONCERNING THE ADJUDICATION OF NONTRIBUTARY GROUND *1324WATER OUTSIDE OF DESIGNATED GROUND WATER BASINS.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado:

SECTION 1. 87-92-203(1), Colorado Revised Statutes, is amended to read:
37-92-203. Water judges — jurisdiction. (1) There is established in each water division the position of water judge of the district courts of all counties situated entirely or partly within the division. Said district courts collectively acting through the water judge have exclusive jurisdiction of water matters within the division, and no judge other than the one designated as a water judge shall act with respect to water matters in that division. Water matters shall include only those matters which this article and any other law shall specify to be heard by the water judge of the district courts. WATER MATTERS INCLUDE DETERMINATIONS OF RIGHTS TO NONTRI-BUTARY GROUND WATER OUTSIDE OF DESIGNATED GROUND WATER BASINS. JUDGMENTS AND DECREES ENTERED PRIOR TO THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS SUBSECTION (1), AS AMENDED, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PROCEDURES OF SECTIONS 37-92-302 TO 37-92-305 WITH RESPECT TO SUCH GROUND WATER SHALL BE GIVEN FULL EFFECT AND ENFORCED ACCORDING TO THE TERMS OF SUCH DECREES.1
SECTION 2. 37-90-137, Colorado Revised Statutes, as amended by House Bill No. 1440, enacted at the First Regular Session of the Fifty-fourth General Assembly and approved by the Governor on May 23, 1983, is amended BY THE ADDITION OF A NEW SUBSECTION to read:
37-90-137. Permits to construct wells outside designated areas — fees—permit no ground water right — evidence—time limitation. (6) Rights to nontributary ground water outside of designated ground water basins may be determined in accordance with the procedures of sections 37-92-302 to 37-92-305. Such proceedings may be commenced at any time and may include a determination of the right to such water for existing and future uses. Such determination shall be in accordance with subsections (4) and (5) of this section. Claims pending as of the effective date of this act which have been published pursuant to section 37-92-302 in the resume need not be republished.
SECTION 3. Safety clause. The general assembly hereby finds, determines, and declares that this act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, and safety.
Shortly after passage of Senate Bill No. 439, the two houses of the General Assembly adopted the following joint resolution:

Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the Fifty-fourth General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the Senate concurring herein:

That the General Assembly hereby finds and declares that its intention in enacting Senate Bill No. 439, enacted at the First Regular Session of the Fifty-fourth General Assembly, was that its provisions were procedural only, and that the provisions of section 37-90-137(4), Colorado Revised Statutes, shall continue to control the granting of permits for nontributary ground water outside of designated ground water basins.
House Joint Resolution No. 1038 (1983).
We took notice of these new developments on motions of some of the parties to this proceeding. In petitions filed after Senate Bill No. 439 was adopted, the parties have taken various positions concerning the validity and effect of the new legislation and have requested that we permit briefing and argument on the issues. We believe, however, that these questions will be better postured for appellate resolution after trial courts have been given an opportunity to consider them as they apply to particular cases. Therefore, we elect to deny the petitions for rehearing to the extent that they are based on the new legislation.
*1325In response to other matters raised in the petitions for rehearing, we have modified our opinion, and it will appear in the official reporter as modified. Except for the changes reflected in this opinion on petitions for rehearing and in the modifications, the petitions for rehearing are denied.
We also modify our judgment and directions to the water courts by reversing that part of the trial court judgment dismissing the applications for nontributary ground water, remanding those applications to the respective water divisions, and directing the water judges to consider whether those applications should be dismissed, or retained for further proceedings, in light of the legal principles set forth in our opinion and of Senate Bill No. 439 and House Joint Resolution No. 1038.

. Capital letters indicate new material added to existing statutes.