Thompson v. Colorado Ground Water Commission

On February 13, 1974, Gordon L. Thompson (plaintiff) filed an application with the Colorado Ground Water Commission (commission) seeking a permit to construct a well and to appropriate designated ground water from the Northern High Plains Designated Ground Water Basin in Yuma County. The commission denied the application on the basis that the proposed appropriation would unreasonably impair existing water rights. In reaching its decision, the commission used its three-mile test as modified by its state-line policy to determine the availability of unappropriated water. The plaintiff requested…