Oh yes, you must buy water rights here if you want anything other than a residential well, which allows you to support a home, water the lawn and fill the dog bowl. Anything else, like irrigation or filling a pond requires ownership of that water is a specific aquafer. For instance, I bought 27 acre feet (the amount I can use annually from that aquafer) from an aquafer around 900 feet below the surface. I even drilled THROUGH 2 other aquafers to get to this one - all for the express purpose of buying water that no one could tell me when I could use it or what I could do with it (we Colorado girls are not much for being told what to do). Anyway, I researched the potential of the other aquafers drying up in drought conditions and under projected population growth before I went and purchased this water. Now I don't have to worry about either in my lifetime. But interestingly enough, if I were not a nice person, I could sell this land and not include the water rights. They could not use the well and would have to truck in water or buy their own rights later and dig another well. Seems crazy? All true! Lots of people who have come to Colorado hunting have bought mountain property only to later find that they can't drill a well because they don't own the water. In truth, it is all the golf course owners and resorts in Las Vegas and L.A. that own most of the water that comes from Colorado and we are hard pressed to find people willing to sell any of their rights. I am often told that someday my water will be worth more than my 100 acres! Thus, the story of water in Colorado...
Oh.. another interesting point... we even have satellite detection devices on our wells to determine the amount of water used! It used to be that you were hung here for stealing cattle. Now it is for stealing water!
