How much water is in a “share” of Colorado irrigation water, and are shares the same per state?
A. Water “shares” vary by ditch companies in Colorado. One share equals so-many acre-feet of water normally, such as one share or unit of Big Thompson water is equal to one acre- foot. Some ditch companies have over 40 acre-feet per share. Owners of water shares should check with their local ditch company to find out how many acre-feet of water is equal to a share. Then the next question should be what has been the allocation per share in that ditch over the last five years? Using the Big Thompson example, even though a share is one acre-foot, the water has only been allocated at approximately 50 to 60 percent of that amount to users in the last several years. The third thing a user needs to know is what the actual deliverable water is to the property. (The example of one share equals one acre-foot allocated at 50 percent means the most water the owner can get is one half an acre-foot unless the allocation is changed. There is also the chance of ditch loss so the water that actually ge
