June 4, 2008--DOW withdraws from litigation over Wray fish hatchery (Journal Advocate)
The Colorado Division of Wildlife (DOW) has withdrawn from litigation over water rights it owns which supply water to the Wray Fish Hatchery. DOW has identified an alternative water supply option for the hatchery. If implemented, this should allow the hatchery to continue producing warm water fish for the next 20 to 25 years. The Wray State Fish Hatchery has been in operation since 1937. In recent years, DOW has seen a decline in the available water supply at the hatchery’s Chief Creek pipeline diversion in recent years. In response, the DOW purchased senior water surface rights and implemented water conservation measures to maintain fish production at the facility. Other surface water users downstream experienced the same decline in flows and believed it was due to groundwater pumping from a large number of wells in the Northern High Plains Designated Groundwater Basin. In 2005, the Pioneer and Laird Ditches initiated a hearing with the Ground Water Commission (GWC) requesting that the wells be administered pursuant to the prior appropriation doctrine (first in time-first in right) along with the senior surface rights.
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