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TheColorado water courts are specializedstate courts of theU.S. state ofColorado. There are seven water courts, one in each of Colorado's seven majorriver basins:South Platte,Arkansas,Rio Grande,Gunnison,Colorado,White, andSan Juan. The water courts are divisions of thedistrict courts in that basin.
Water judges are district court judges appointed by theColorado Supreme Court. The water courts haveexclusivesubject-matter jurisdiction in the determination ofwater rights, the use and administration ofwater, and all other water matters within thejurisdiction of the water divisions.
The water courts were established by the Water Right Determination and Administration Act of 1969, astate law which created seven water divisions based upon the drainage patterns of Colorado's rivers. Each water division is staffed with a divisionengineer, appointed by the state engineer; a water judge, appointed by the Supreme Court; a waterreferee, appointed by the water judge; and a waterclerk, assigned by the district court.
The seven water courts are: