Colorado Porch

Topic

Water and land

Wells and water rights, septic and rural land, mineral rights, and what it really means to own ground in a place where water is its own kind of property.

159 notes - page 2 of 7

Water and land - June 10, 2026

Around Lamar, ditch water and tap water are two different things

Farm and rural parcels in the Lower Arkansas Valley often carry irrigation ditch shares that are separate from the household water supply.

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Water and land - June 10, 2026

Around Trinidad, the Purgatoire River sits inside the Arkansas water system

Surface water in Las Animas County is part of the Arkansas River Basin and is administered by the state's Water Division 2, so a property's water question is rarely as simple as 'there's a river nearby.'

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Water and land - June 10, 2026

Black Canyon's dark walls are nearly two-billion-year-old rock

The steep, dark walls of Black Canyon of the Gunnison are ancient Precambrian gneiss and schist laced with pink pegmatite dikes, cut into a narrow gorge by the Gunnison River.

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Water and land - June 10, 2026

Blue grama and buffalo grass are the backbone of Cheyenne County's prairie

Cheyenne County sits in Colorado's shortgrass prairie, where low, drought-hardy native grasses like blue grama and buffalo grass dominate the land.

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Water and land - June 10, 2026

Blue Mesa is a federal reservoir, not the county's tap water

Blue Mesa Reservoir is part of a National Park Service recreation area on the Gunnison River and is managed by federal agencies, separate from any town's drinking-water system.

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Water and land - June 10, 2026

Boating at Eleven Mile State Park means a boat inspection for invasive species

Eleven Mile State Park allows boating on its big reservoir, but trailered boats must pass an aquatic nuisance species inspection first.

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Water and land - June 10, 2026

Boating Lake San Cristobal means following Colorado's mussel rules

Lake San Cristobal near Lake City is one of Colorado's larger natural lakes, and boats launched there fall under the state's aquatic nuisance species inspection rules.

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Water and land - June 10, 2026

Boating rules change from one foothills reservoir to the next

Carter Lake, Pinewood Reservoir, and Flatiron Reservoir sit close together west of Loveland, but each allows different kinds of boating, so the rules depend on which water you pick.

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Water and land - June 10, 2026

Boats at Ruedi Reservoir get inspected for invasive species

Ruedi Reservoir east of Basalt is open for boating, but all boats must pass an aquatic nuisance species inspection at the ramp before launching and again when they leave the water.

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Water and land - June 10, 2026

Boats on Chaffee County waters need a clean check first

Before launching on Colorado waters, motorboats and sailboats need an aquatic nuisance species stamp, and trailered or motorized boats must pass an inspection to keep invasive mussels out.

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Water and land - June 10, 2026

Boats on Dillon Reservoir get inspected for invasive species before launching

Dillon Reservoir requires aquatic nuisance species inspection for trailered boats, which helps keep zebra and quagga mussels out of Summit County's water.

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Water and land - June 10, 2026

Bring your boat clean and dry to Lathrop State Park

Motorized boats must pass an aquatic nuisance species inspection before launching at Lathrop State Park, where an invasive water weed has already been found.

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Water and land - June 10, 2026

Broomfield's tap water is mostly piped in from the mountains

Broomfield does not sit on a big local river, so much of its drinking water is brought in through mountain water projects and treated before it reaches homes.

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Water and land - June 10, 2026

Buying irrigated land near Alamosa: the water is its own deal

Farm and ranch parcels in the San Luis Valley often depend on irrigation water that is governed separately from the land, and that water can carry its own rights, costs, and limits.

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Water and land - June 10, 2026

Center-pivot circles here are watered from the Ogallala, and that supply is finite

The green irrigation circles across Kit Carson County draw from the High Plains (Ogallala) aquifer, a groundwater supply that recharges slowly.

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Water and land - June 10, 2026

Continental Reservoir is a high lake for boating and trout, with rules at the ramp

Continental Reservoir near Creede has a boat ramp and stocked trout, but motorboats must run wakeless and carry a Colorado registration and aquatic nuisance species stamp, and the lake is usually frozen in winter.

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Water and land - June 10, 2026

Crystal Peak: a world-famous home for blue-green amazonite

The Crystal Peak area between Woodland Park and Lake George is known worldwide for amazonite and smoky quartz, with much of the prime ground held as private or claimed land you'll want to confirm before digging.

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Water and land - June 10, 2026

Denver owns a chain of mountain parks far outside the city

The City and County of Denver owns dozens of mountain parks in the foothills and high country, miles outside its own borders, including Red Rocks, Genesee, and Echo Lake.

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Water and land - June 10, 2026

Denver's riverside greenway trails all knot together at Confluence Park

From the spot where Cherry Creek meets the South Platte, a paved greenway built over decades carries walkers and cyclists along the water, out of downtown and far upstream.

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Water and land - June 10, 2026

Dinosaur National Monument's Colorado side is canyons, not bones

Dinosaur National Monument straddles Colorado and Utah, but the famous fossil wall is on the Utah side — the Colorado side near the town of Dinosaur is about deep river canyons and overlooks.

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Water and land - June 10, 2026

Elkhead Reservoir offers flat-water boating near Craig

Elkhead Reservoir State Park, northeast of Craig, is a developed lake for boating and fishing, and motorized or trailered watercraft must pass an aquatic nuisance species inspection before launching.

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Water and land - June 10, 2026

Fish San Juan County's high lakes and side creeks, and know the upper Animas

Many tributaries and high lakes around Silverton fish well; the main-stem upper Animas is shaped by old-mine metals, so plan your trout day around the side waters.

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Water and land - June 10, 2026

Fishing in Broomfield happens at named ponds, under state rules

Broomfield allows fishing at several named city ponds and reservoirs, with a Colorado fishing license required and state regulations that can differ by water.

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Water and land - June 10, 2026

Fishing the high lakes and creeks above Gilpin County's East Portal

The lakes and streams in the James Peak Wilderness above Gilpin County's East Portal draw hike-in anglers, but fishing them means a license and rules that change by water.

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