What are the rules for irrigation ditches in Colorado?
What are the rules for irrigation ditches in Colorado?
This fact sheet provides general guidelines on the rules and practices that govern ditch operations in Colorado. If you have an irrigation ditch on your property or if you are in the process of purchasing a property with an irrigation ditch or creek on it, the following questions may be helpful.
Do you have an irrigation ditch on your property?
If you have an irrigation ditch on your property or if you are in the process of purchasing a property with an irrigation ditch or creek on it, the following questions may be helpful. Q: An irrigation ditch runs through my property but I don’t use it.
What are the rights of the owner of a ditch?
land containing the ditch, but they do have access and use rights. The ditch owner has the right to enter your property to maintain the ditch and ditch banks and perform “reasonably necessary” operations, even if that means disturbing land within the easement. The easement is as wide as is reasonably necessary for ditch maintenance and operation.
Why are irrigation ditches important to the farmers?
Ditch companies and associations exist to acquire water rights, develop storage, and deliver surface water to their members for irrigation and other purposes. Early on, farmers and landowners realized that the value of their property was directly related to a common system bringing water to their land.
What happens if a ditch runs through an easement?
If the ditch runs through an easement, then the ditch owner does not own the land containing the ditch, but they do have access and use rights. The ditch owner has the right to enter your property to maintain the ditch and ditch banks and perform “reasonably necessary” operations, even if that means disturbing land within the easement.
This fact sheet provides general guidelines on the rules and practices that govern ditch operations in Colorado. If you have an irrigation ditch on your property or if you are in the process of purchasing a property with an irrigation ditch or creek on it, the following questions may be helpful.
land containing the ditch, but they do have access and use rights. The ditch owner has the right to enter your property to maintain the ditch and ditch banks and perform “reasonably necessary” operations, even if that means disturbing land within the easement. The easement is as wide as is reasonably necessary for ditch maintenance and operation.
Do you have right of access to irrigation ditch?
A: Yes, if your neighbor uses the ditch to deliver water to his/her property, he/she has a right-of-access to enter with the equipment needed to maintain or repair the ditch. Irrigators frequently check ditches upstream to see how they are flowing, clear debris from the ditch, or adjust flows at measuring structures that may be on your land.