Arizona Department of Water Resources
Adjudications
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF ADJUDICATIONS PROGRAM . A general stream adjudication is a judicial proceeding in which the nature, extent, and relative priority of water rights is determined. As required by statute, ADWR provides technical and administrative support to the adjudication court and Special Master, “...in all aspects of the general adjudication with respect to which the director possesses hydrological or other expertise.” A.R.S. § 45-256(A). The Statewide Planning and Resources Division provides technical support for the adjudication through the investigations of claims for water rights and preparation of technical reports. Legal Services Division represents ADWR before the adjudication court and the Special Master, and assists with the preparation of technical reports and provides information as requested.. There are two general stream adjudications in the state, the Gila River System and Source (Gila Adjudication) and the Little Colorado River System and Source (LCR Adjudication). The exterior boundaries of these two adjudications include more than half the state, where most of the Indian reservations and federal land are located. There are nearly 30,000 parties in the Gila Adjudication and nearly 5,000 parties in the LCR Adjudication. A party is a person or entity that has filed one or more claims to water rights in the adjudication (Statement of Claimant or SOC). On behalf of federal non-Indian lands alone, the United States has filed over 15,000 claims. Click Gila River and Little Colorado River General Stream Adjudications for more information. . HYDROGRAPHIC SURVEY REPORTS By statute, ADWR is required to prepare and publish comprehensive Hydrographic Survey Reports (HSRs) for each of the ten watersheds within the two adjudications. HSRs can be multivolume publications that involve intensive data collection and field inspection efforts by ADWR, including detailed information regarding land ownership, hydrology, and the factual basis for each SOC, and ADWR’s recommendations regarding the water rights attributes for each individual water right claim or use investigated. For each HSR, ADWR prepares a preliminary and a final draft. Generally, at least two to three years are required to prepare the preliminary HSR, with another year or more to review comments and prepare a final HSR. ADWR must provide notice of the filing of the preliminary HSR to each party and water user within the affected watershed, and notice of the final HSR to each party throughout the affected adjudication area. ADWR also prepares and publishes to supplements to final HSRs as necessary to update information, and provides additional notice to the parties. In January 2005, ADWR published the Supplemental Contested Case HSR for Phelps Dodge’s claims to Show Low Lake. . OTHER REPORTS ADWR also prepares and publishes technical reports on specific issues or factual matters within the adjudications, such as Indian water rights settlements, the Globe Equity 59 Decree, de minimis water uses, inventory of uses within the Santa Cruz River watershed, the determination of subflow, comments on procedural issues, and status reports. . DATABASES ADWR maintains and updates SOC information, including names and addresses of the parties to the adjudications, the location and nature of claims, property records and payment of filing fees that are forwarded to either the Maricopa County Court (Gila Adjudication) or the Apache County Court (LCR Adjudication). The information is updated as new SOCs are filed, and as existing SOCs are amended or assigned due to changes in property ownership or other changes. You can access copies of SOCs filed in the adjudications by clicking here. In order to view these imaged copies you will need the SOC file numbers from ADWR by calling 1-866-246-1414. To access blank SOC forms (including amendments and assignments of SOCs), click here. . NEW USE SUMMONS Adjudication summons were served upon all persons listed in the property tax assessments in each watershed and on all persons in the watershed who had, at any time, any kind of water rights filing on record with ADWR. Nearly 100,000 SOCs have been filed in the adjudications in response to the original and new use summons. Through the end of calendar year 2012, over 82,000 SOCs have been filed in the Gila Adjudication, and over 14,000 SOCs have been filed in the LCR Adjudication. Additionally, ADWR conducts an annual search of its records to determine whether new water uses have been initiated within the adjudication areas and serves new use summons by certified mail to those potential claimants. Frequently Asked Questions Regarding New Use Summonses and Statements of Claimant . CENTRAL INFORMATION REPOSITORY ADWR maintains a Central Information Repository for data, reports and other information related to the adjudications, which contains thousands of documents. This information is available to the public and to the parties. . DISCLOSED DOCUMENTS Disclosed Documents Input Forms "In accessing linked documents through any of the following disclosure index spreadsheets, if you encounter a pop-up / dialog box when trying to return to the spreadsheet, click the 'Open' box, and you will return to the spreadsheet."
FOR THE FOLLOWING CONTESTED CASES WHEN ACCESSING THE LINKED DOCUMENTS THROUGH THE EXCEL SPREADSHEET AT THE PRESENT TIME, YOU WILL NEED TO USE THE INTERNET EXPLORER BROWSER In Re Hopi Tribe Priority Contested Case In Re Fort Huachuca Contested Case
In Re San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area Contested Case
In Re State Trust Lands Contested Case
. In Re Powers Garden Administrative Site Contested Case . In Re Aravaipa Canyon Wilderness
In Re Redfield Canyon Wilderness Area
Indian Water Right Settlements . PRELIMINARY HYDROGRAPHIC SURVEY REPORT FOR THE HOPI INDIAN RESERVATION The Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) released the Preliminary Hydrographic Survey Report for the Hopi Indian Reservation (Hopi Preliminary Report) for inspection and comment. The Hopi Preliminary Report was prepared by ADWR as part of the Little Colorado River General Stream Adjudication (LCR Adjudication), which is pending before the Apache County Superior Court. The purpose of the Hopi Preliminary Report is to provide the Hopi, the United States and interested parties with the opportunity to inspect the information that ADWR gathered, and to file comments with ADWR. In accordance with A.R.S. § 45-256(H), the ADWR Director gives notice that the comment period on the Hopi Preliminary Report shall extend until March 31, 2009. The Hopi Tribe requested an extension of three months to the comment period. The request was accepted and a new deadline for filing comments is June 30, 2009.
* This folder contains database and "shapefiles" which require ESRI GIS software to view. The files illustrate Hopi-claimed water sources - wells, springs and impoundments.
Where indicated, some files are extremely large. Downloading without broadband Internet service is not recommended. The documents also are available for viewing at a number of sites around northeastern Arizona. For a complete list, consult the News Release linked above. . Comments Received on Preliminary Hopi HSR . Amended Statements of Claimants filed November 2009 . SUBFLOW ZONE DELINEATION REPORT FOR THE SAN PEDRO RIVER WATERSHED On June 30, 2009, the Arizona Department of Water Resources filed a report for the San Pedro River Watershed which includes color maps of the subflow zones for the San Pedro and Babocomari Rivers, and Aravaipa Creek as determined by the Department. The report also includes a description of the Department’s analyses, together with supporting tables, figures and appendices. The Department’s report is not a final determination of the location of the subflow zones in the San Pedro River Watershed. .
Copies of the report are available at libraries located in Sierra Vista, Benson, Bisbee and Mammoth. Also, by contacting the Department at 1-866-246-1414, an electronic copy of the report may be purchased for $10 or a paper copy of the report may be purchased for $100. . Filing Objections to the Report Persons who hold a statement of claimant for water rights in the San Pedro River Watershed may file objections to the Department’s report through December 28, 2009. The Court will consider these objections prior to making a final subflow zone decision. The objection form is here. . October 2, 2009 Public Presentation in Sierra Vista . ADWR’S JUNE 2009 SUBFLOW ZONE REPORT . Objections to Subflow Zone Delineation Report . ADWR’s Response to Comments and Objections Filed on Its June 2009 Subflow Zone Delineation Report for the San Pedro River Watershed As requested by the Court, on January 31, 2011 the Arizona Department of Water Resources filed a report in the Gila River Adjudication that responds to comments and objections on its June 2009 Subflow Zone Delineation Report for the San Pedro River Watershed. ADWR’s 2011 report summarizes the technical comments and objections that were received and presents ADWR’s responses, together with supporting tables, figures and appendices. Report without Appendices (4.2 MB) Appendices Report with Appendices (329 MB) Where indicated, some files are relatively large and downloading without broadband Internet service is not recommended. * This folder contains jpg files that have been saved in zip format to reduce file size. A paper copy of the report may be purchased for $100 by contacting ADWR at 1-866-246-1414. An electronic copy of the report is also available on DVD and may be purchased for $10. . . Subflow Zone Delineation Methodology for the San Pedro River Watershed On April 20, 2012, the Arizona Department of Water Resources filed a report that describes a methodology for delineating the subflow zone within the San Pedro River Watershed. The report is titled "Subflow Zone Delineation Methodology for the San Pedro River Watershed," and it includes large color maps, figures and tables. The methodology proposed in this report is subject to review by the court in the Gila River Adjudication and comment by the parties. Copies of the report in electronic and hard copy format are available for purchase by contacting the Department at 1-866-246-1414. .
. LAND OWNERSHIP REPORT FOR THE SAN PEDRO RIPARIAN NATIONAL CONSERVATION AREA (SPRNCA) As requested by the Special Master for the Gila River Adjudication, on June 30, 2010 ADWR filed a report that addresses certain land ownership issues associated with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s federal reserved right claims for SPRNCA, which is located within the San Pedro River Watershed. The SPRNCA land ownership report includes a description of the project area, data sources and analysis, and ADWR’s results together with supporting figures and appendices. .
A paper copy of the report may be purchased for $50 by contacting ADWR at 1-866-246-1414. An electronic copy of the report is also available on DVD and may be purchased for $20. Only litigants in this contested case may file comments on the report, and no responses will be allowed. The deadline for litigants to file comments is August 16, 2010. . REPORT CONCERNING FEDERAL RESERVED WATER RIGHTS FOR SAN PEDRO RIPARIAN NATIONAL CONSERVATION AREA (SPRNCA) As requested by the Special Master for the Gila River Adjudication, on May 31, 2012 ADWR filed a report that addresses federal reserved water rights issues associated with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management's Third Amended Statement of Claimant (SOC) No. 39-13610 for SPRNCA, which is located within the San Pedro River Watershed. The 2012 SPRNCA report includes a description of the project area and ADWR's analyses and evaluation of federal claims together with supporting figures and appendices. .
A paper copy of the report may be purchased for $100 by contacting ADWR at 1-866-246-1414. An electronic copy of the report is also available on DVD and may be purchased for $20. . Mapping of Holocene River Alluvium along the Verde River, Central Arizona In October 2008, ADWR contracted the Arizona Geological Survey (AZGS) to map Holocene stream alluvium in the Verde River watershed. The project had two phases – the Verde River mainstem (Phase I) and major perennial tributaries to the Verde River (Phase 2). A summary report and geology maps from Phases 1 and 2 are posted below. .
NOTE: This information was developed for use in the Gila River general stream adjudication, but does not delineate a subflow zone for the Verde River mainstem. The adjudication court has only approved a methodology for mapping subflow zones within the San Pedro River watershed.
OTHER SAN PEDRO RIVER WATERSHED WORK
IMPLEMENTATION OF SUMMARY ADJUDICATION PROCESS FOR DE MINIMIS USES – SANDS CASES
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