New Book About Colorado Rivers by Colorado Supreme Court Justice Greg Hobbs Reviewed by DU Professor Tom I. Romero II

A new book about Colorado rivers written by Colorado Supreme Court Justice Greg Hobbs has been described as “…one man’s lifelong journey to understand and come to grips with the wonderful but often inequitable bounty of Colorado’s rivers and its people,” by Tom I. Romero II, an Associate Professor at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law.

Professor Romero, who teaches Water Law, recently reviewed Living the Four Corners: Colorado, Centennial State at the Headwaters for The Colorado Lawyer (December 2010 pages 59-60), the journal of the Colorado Bar Association.

Justice Hobbs has been a long time friend of the College of Law and the Environmental and Natural Resources Law program in particular. He regularly speaks at the University of Denver Water Law Review Annual Meeting as well as to various water law-related courses.

Professor Romero writes that “Once majestic and unpredictable bodies of water, the headwaters of the Centennial State have become tightly controlled, over-managed cisterns on which every single drop is drained.”

In commenting about Justice Hobbs’ book, Professor Romero says:

“Justice Greg Hobbs reminds us…these rivers continue to inspire awe and wonder, perhaps because of our deep-rooted reliance on the river systems for our economy, politics, and culture—or perhaps because we simultaneously recognize and take for granted each river’s persistence and durability.”

Moreover, Professor Romero suggests that the book is a “teaching text” for all those involved in water issues:

“It shows us how to breathe life into our endeavors; it implores us to suck the marrow out of our shared experiences; and it empowers us to drink liberally from those water that have cut such deep canyons in the history, lives, and culture of Colorado."

Living the Four Corners is published by Continuing Legal Education in Colorado. For information about how to order the book, please click here.

Colorado Supreme Court to Hear "Water Case of the Decade" at the Sturm College of Law; Oral Argument Set for Jan. 20, 2011

The Colorado Supreme Court will hear what has been described as "the water law case of the decade" on Jan. 20, 2011, at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. Knowing the importance of this particular case and that many DU law students will be interested in the case, the Sturm College of Law approached Supreme Court Justice Gregory Hobbs about the possibility of having the Supreme Court hear the case at DU and the Court agreed.

The case, commonly referred to as the Farmers Reservoir & Irrigation Company matter, involves five or six long-standing key Colorado water law doctrines. The case will attract the attention of water lawyers from all around the state as well as various groups such as the Agricultural Ditch and Reservoir Company, the Cache La Poudre Water Users Association, the Conejos Water Conservancy District, the Golden Canal and Reservoir Company, the Rio Grande Water Users Association, the Upper Arkansas Water Conservancy District, and the city of Westminster.

The Supreme Court will hear the case, which will be open to College of Law students, in the law school courtroom on the first floor. The exact details of when the case will be heard on Jan. 20 are pending, but they will be available in the near future.

Don C. Smith, director of the Environmental and Natural Resources Law Program, said, "The importance of this case is well understood by all water users in Colorado. It will be an extraordinary privilege for the Sturm College of Law to host the Colorado Supreme Court for this case. Every student who is interested in natural resources law, and especially water law in Colorado, should plan to attend the oral hearing."

More details about the key issues in the case will be posted on the blog in the weeks prior to the hearing. In addition, additional information about how to attend the hearing will be forthcoming before the end of 2010.

The Challenge of Dairy Farming in Saudi Arabia: The Not So Easy Matter of Water Supplies

For those interested in the intersection of farming and natural resources will want to listen to "The Cost of Making Milk in the Desert," which was broadcast on National Public Radio's Weekend Edition Sunday (June 14, 2009).

This piece explains how much water it takes to sustain a dairy operation in Saudi Arabia, and the related -- and difficult -- resource issues.

Lack of Water Presses Coal-fired Plants in West

The lack of dependable (and adequate) sources of water is beginning to weigh heavily on coal- and gas-fired power generators in the American west. These types of facilities require enormous amounts of water, and in many parts of the American west water is in short supply.

An article in The Wall Street Journal ("Water worries shape local energy decisions," March 26, 2009, page A3) says, "Advocates for alternative energy are discovering that water issues may prove to be as important a selling point for the industry as reducing carbon dioxide emissions."

The story called attention to a recent U.S. Energy Department report that indicated a megawatt of energy generated by a gas-fired plant requires between 200 and 600 gallons of water. A megawatt generated by a wind turbine? Zero.

Putting this issue in a national perspective is the observation by U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) that the relationship between energy generation and water has become more important "in [power plant] permitting decisions across the country."