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| Three types of water rights here. Direct flow rights from a river or stream. Usually the oldest but often tied to snow melt or upstream rainfall. When it is over, it's over. Stored water or reservoir rights usually by stock in reservoir companies that store water in the winter by river diversions. And ground water which has become more and more contentious as it is often tied to the aquifer created by the rivers. A CO Supreme Court ruling in the early 2000's said ground water pumping was hurting senior direct flow or storage rights. Long story short, you have to replace the ground water pumped in the summer by replacing it by "augmentation" in the winter, IF there is enough water available in the winter, in some cases pumping water into "augmentation ponds" in the winter so you can pump irrigation water in the winter. If that sounds screwed up, it's because it is.
Fortunately the water we use is very old senior direct flow rights. The river has to be virtually dry before we loose the ability to divert water. A "Mutual Ditch Company" owns the right and irrigators hold varying amounts of shares. A "ditch rider" oversees the diversion and delivery of water measured in cfs (cubic second feet) measured in "flumes" or "weirs".
Flood irrigation creates it's own ecosystem. I know of places where the switch to sprinkler irrigation dried up streams and springs. We see many diverse types of shore birds and waterfowl in the spring.
Today everything is either a hay crop or irrigated pasture here. But I grew up flood irrigating row crops as well, sugar beets, pinto beans, corn, and occasionally winter wheat behind pinto beans. An unbelievable amount of labor. My father talked about sleeping next to the irrigation ditch in the thirties. Without the equipment to level land well, irrigation runs were fairly short so required frequent attention through the night.
One thing about it though, gravity never breaks down.
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For Russ in Idaho- more grass
