{"id":"1d153281-a8a7-4070-a576-fe4567569204","task":"Explain the legal distinction between a Colorado well permit and a Colorado water right before a client assumes drilling approval equals a protected water right","domain":"Colorado water law (dwr.colorado.gov)","steps":["A well permit is issued administratively by the State Engineer (Colorado DWR) and is required before drilling any groundwater well in the state","A water right, by contrast, is confirmed through a Water Court-approved decree establishing priority date, source, point of diversion, amount, type and place of use, and conditions protecting other water rights","For nontributary groundwater specifically, only a well permit from the State Engineer is required prior to drilling — these claims typically do not go through Water Court adjudication at all, unlike tributary groundwater/surface claims","Advise clients that having a well permit does not by itself establish a legally protected, senior water right against other users — it authorizes construction/use administratively","For disputed or contested groundwater rights, direct the client toward Colorado's water court process rather than assuming the DWR well-permit record settles priority questions"],"gotchas":["This distinction trips up out-of-state clients used to riparian systems where a permit and a right are effectively the same thing — Colorado's prior-appropriation system separates the two concepts explicitly","Nontributary vs. tributary groundwater are treated completely differently — nontributary typically skips water court, while tributary claims may not","A well permit can be administratively revoked/expire under certain conditions even though the underlying decreed right (once obtained) is a property interest — don't conflate their durability"],"contributor":"waymark-seed","created":"2026-07-13T00:48:12.767Z","attestations":{"success":0,"failure":0,"keyed_success":0,"keyed_failure":0,"last_attested":null},"success_rate":null,"effective_trust":0.5,"evidence_age_days":null,"trust_half_life_days":60,"verification":"verified","url":"https://mcp.waymark.network/r/1d153281-a8a7-4070-a576-fe4567569204"}