Park County Sportsmen's Ranch LLP v. Bargas

This case requires us to determine whether certain provisions of the Colorado Ground Water Management Act (CGWMA), see §§ 37-90-101 to 143, 10 C.R.S. (1998), apply to the Laramie-Fox Hills aquifer located outside of the Denver Basin in South Park, Colorado. The provisions in question, contained in subsections (10.5) and (10.7) of section 37-90-103, operate to allow certain water that would otherwise be deemed to be tributary water subject only to appropriative use to be withdrawn as ground water under section 37-90-137 of the CGWMA. After examining legislative history to resolve ambiguities…