As winter melts into spring and McPhee Reservoir begins its slow ascent to full capacity, the placid waters conceal a raging battle with the hallmarks of history. Two major water providers, Montezuma Valley Irrigation Co.

Under the doctrine of prior appropriation, in which the oldest claims are first in line for water, domestic wells, like all groundwater rights, should fall behind surface water rights. But while Washington law recognizes that groundwater and surface water are connected, the state restricts groundwater withdrawals only if their impact on more senior rights can be shown.

Pitkin County officials are contemplating a special tax that would ensure a water supply, regardless of future water-right conflicts. At least a partial answer on whether they should impose such a tax is expected on June 3, when the Board of County Commissioners will be briefed on the results of a survey of county residents regarding water and other issues.

Nebraska water officials are moving ahead with a detailed study of a pipeline that would dump groundwater into the Republican River for use by Kansas.

Water wars in the East should serve as a warning to Colorado to store more water, Sen. Wayne Alllard, R-Colo., told Western Slope leaders on Saturday.

The Southeast has not yet come to grips with the fact that it has a water problem, that it needs to plan for its water usage, that it can't take for granted that all the water it needs will always be there," says Robin Craig, a law professor and water expert at Florida State University's College of Law.

Fuel is used to pursue, although still in the ground, water sources. That fuel continues to skyrocket in price. Wednesday, yet another record price was recorded on crude oil. What water there is gets fought over in the courts with at least two neighboring states.

About 300 farmers in the Republican River basin could get checks totaling $9 million from the state, but Nebraskans are still staring down the possibility of paying millions in damages to Kansas.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday said Montana can pursue its lawsuit that charges Wyoming with using too much water from a pair of rivers that flow between the states. Montana argues Wyoming's agricultural and energy industries are depleting the Tongue and Powder rivers at the expense of downstream residents in Montana.