State Engineer of New Mexico v. Diamond K Bar Ranch, LLC

OPINION

DANIELS, Chief Justice.

{1} Water is both a scarce and a vital resource in New Mexico, and its responsible management is crucially important to all New Mexicans. In this appeal, we address the scope of the New Mexico State Engineer’s regulatory authority over use of surface water in New Mexico when it has been diverted from the Animas River into an acequia in Colorado and accessed from that ditch by Petitioners and others in New Mexico.

{2} We reject Petitioners’ arguments that the State Engineer lacks statutory authority over waters initially diverted outside of New Mexico and has no…