Water Right Evaluation and Analysis

Applegate Group’s professional staff members are experienced at completing historical consumptive use analysis of water rights, evaluating stream depletions, and evaluating recharge potential. We have extensive experience relating to the development of water within Colorado’s water law system and have been involved with river administration, legal activities, and other developments within various river basins throughout the state.

Our staff has been recognized in Water Court as experts in Water Resources Engineering, Water Rights Administration, and Water Right Evaluations. We have also completed dry-year analysis on water rights to determine the firm yield for planning purposes, water right acquisitions and possible replacement purposes. Other evaluations include determination of stream depletion from irrigation or industrial wells, and from stream losses due to gravel mining operations.

Water Master Planning

We have completed several types of water master planning services for municipal and private clients. In developing master plans, we worked closely with our client’s staff, Board of Directors, or Council to explore various options and alternatives ensuring that our client’s needs are addressed. Examples of such master plans include Emergency Drinking Water Master Plans, Raw Water Master Plans, and Non-potable Master Plans. We have also completed alternative water supply analysis for clients to assist them in assessing potential alternatives for water supply development.

Substitute Water Supply Plans & Augmentation Plans

Applegate Group, Inc., has developed and currently maintains more than 60 Substitute Water Plans for clients in Water Divisions 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7. Our plans include:

• Gravel pit substitute water supply plans
• Arkansas Basin Rule 14B plans for our sand and gravel mining clients
• Substitute water supply plans for the water rights of our municipal clients.

Many of these temporary plans are used over the short-term as the client concurrently develops a permanent plan for augmentation and completes the Water Court process.

Ground Water Analysis

We provide tributary ground water analysis for many of our clients. We have utilized a GMS Model that assists in evaluation of the impacts of new land uses to the existing surface and subsurface hydrology of an area as well as the effects on nearby ditches and wells. We also use stream depletion and recharge models based on the Glover technique and location of the parcels from the river.

Applegate Group has also assisted clients insure compliance with the Rio Grande River Basin Rules. These rules govern the withdrawal of ground water within Water Division No. 3. Well owners can comply with the rules by joining a Subdistrict or operating under a private augmentation plan. These approaches provide a mechanism for the well owner to replace injurious depletions to the river system and to help maintain a Sustainable Water Supply.

Hydrology & Floodplain Studies

Our engineers are experienced in large and small basin hydrology studies as well as floodplain modeling. We frequently evaluate extreme precipitation events and the impacts of the resulting flood to dams, diversion headgates, gravel mining operations, buildings, culverts, bridges and other structures located in the floodway. Our staff is familiar with the rules and regulations governing development in and near a floodplain and we assist our clients in the preparation of Conditional Letters Of Map Revision (CLOMR’s) and Letters Of Map Revision (LOMR).

Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

We utilize GIS for the presentation of spatial information in high quality maps and graphics.  In addition, we use GIS to perform water rights analysis for our clients using the capability to consider both spatial and tabular data such as the location of, points of diversions, dry-up points and exchange reaches.