Purgatoire River Water Conservancy District & the Model Land & Irrigation Co. v. Highland Irrigation Co.

The district court denied the petition of the appellant, Highland Irrigation Company (here called “Highland”), to enter an appearance in order to request the modification or vacation of a decree changing the place of storage of water. This appeal concerns the correctness of that denial.

The water involved is that of the Model Reservoir of The Model Land and Irrigation Company. This reservoir was adjudicated in 1925 to have an annual storage right of 20,000 acre feet of water with date of appropriation of January 22, 1908. It is on the Purgatoire River a few miles downstream from the City of…