More Information about Water

Definitions

Acre-foot: The volume of water equivalent to covering one acre of land to a depth of one foot; equal to 43,560 cubic feet or 325, 851 gallons

Alluvium: Unconsolidated gravel, sand, silt, or clay deposited by streams or other moving water

Appropriation: the right to take a certain portion of the waters of the state to be put to beneficial use

Bedrock: Solid rock, such as conglomerate, sandstone, or shale that underlies soil or other unconsolidated surficial materials

Beneficial use: the use of a reasonable amount of water necessary to accomplish the purpose of the appropriation without waste.Some common types of beneficial use are: domestic, household use, irrigation, municipal, wildlife, recreation, and mining.

Designated Groundwater:  Groundwater which in its natural course, is not available to or required for the fulfillment of decreed surface rights, or groundwater in areas not adjacent to a continuously flowing natural stream; wherein groundwater withdrawals have constituted the principal water usage for at least 15 years preceding the date of the first hearing on the proposed designation of the basin.

Groundwater: Any water not visible on the surface of the ground under normal conditions

Water Right:  A right to use, in accordance with its priority, a certain amount of water

Colorado Division of Water Resources, Office of the State Engineer
www.water.state.co.us
303-866-3581
Groundwater Information Line:  303-866-3587

Colorado State University
Cooperative Extension
www.ext.colostate.edu

Water Information Program
www.waterinfo.org

United States Geological Survey
http://capp.water.usgs.gov

National Ground Water Association
www.ngwa.org

Water:   Use It Wisely, Park and Co.
www.wateruseitwisely.com

Unitied States Environmental Protection Agency Region VIII
www.epa.gov
303-312-6312

Board of Examiners of Water Well Construction and Pump Installation
303-866-3581

Ground Water Protection Council
www.gwpc.site.net

American Groundwater Trust
www.agst.org