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.
ADWR is the technical arm of the Superior
Court in cases involving adjudication of water rights
within the Gila and Little Colorado River systems and
other matters. The Court asked for an assessment of ADWR's
resources currently devoted to adjudications tasks,
along with an estimate of additional resources that may be
needed in the future.
To view the reports submitted to the Court:
- Click
here for the Maricopa County Superior Court report
- Click
here for the Apache County Superior Court report
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
are 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. A list of preliminary,
final, and supplemental HSRs can be accessed by clicking
here.
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. A list of technical reports authored by ADWR
can be accessed by clicking
here.
Data Bases
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. To access copies of SOCs filed in the
adjudications, click
here.
To access blank SOC forms (including amendments and
assignments of SOCs), click
here.
Summonses
Adjudication summonses 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.
Additionally, ADWR conducts an annual search of its records to
determine whether new water uses have been initiated within
the adjudication areas, and sends new use summons by certified
mail to those potential claimants. Nearly 100,000 SOCs have
been filed in the adjudications in response to the original
and new use summonses. Through the end of calendar year 2004,
over 85,000 SOCs have been filed in the Gila Adjudication, and
over 14,000 SOCs have been filed in the LCR Adjudication.
Click here
for the
answers to frequently asked questions about new use summons
and SOCs.
New Use Summons
ADWR recently sent out a number of New Use
Summonses. They are served to new applicants who have
filed notices of intent to drill and/or applications for
surface water rights between January 1, 2007 and December
31, 2007.
Looking for
forms? Click
here.
Central Information
Repository
ADWR maintains a Central Information
Repository for all 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 Re Hopi Tribe Priority Disclosures
In Re Fort Huachuca Contested Case
In Re San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area Contested Case
In Re State Trust Lands Contested Case
- APS Initial Disclosure Index.
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20090116061711im_/http://www.azwater.gov/dwr/Library/images/MS_Excel.jpg)
- APS, Phelps Dodge & RWCD Initial Disclosure Index.
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20090116061711im_/http://www.azwater.gov/dwr/Library/images/MS_Excel.jpg)
- ASARCO, AWC, City of Prescott, TEP, & Abitibi Consolidated Initial Disclosure Index.
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20090116061711im_/http://www.azwater.gov/dwr/Library/images/MS_Excel.jpg)
- ASARCO, AWC, City of Prescott, TEP, & Abitibi Consolidated First Supplemental Disclosure Index.
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20090116061711im_/http://www.azwater.gov/dwr/Library/images/MS_Excel.jpg)
- ASARCO, AWC, City of Prescott, TEP, & Abitibi Consolidated Second Supplemental Disclosure.
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20090116061711im_/http://www.azwater.gov/dwr/Library/images/MS_Excel.jpg)
- BHP Copper Initial Disclosure Index.
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20090116061711im_/http://www.azwater.gov/dwr/Library/images/MS_Excel.jpg)
- Phelps Dodge Initial Disclosure Index.
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20090116061711im_/http://www.azwater.gov/dwr/Library/images/MS_Excel.jpg)
- Phelps Dodge First Disclosure Index.
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20090116061711im_/http://www.azwater.gov/dwr/Library/images/MS_Excel.jpg)
- RWCD Initial Disclosure Index.
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20090116061711im_/http://www.azwater.gov/dwr/Library/images/MS_Excel.jpg)
- SRP Initial Disclosure Index.
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20090116061711im_/http://www.azwater.gov/dwr/Library/images/MS_Excel.jpg)
- U.S. Department of Justice Initial Disclosure Index.
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20090116061711im_/http://www.azwater.gov/dwr/Library/images/MS_Excel.jpg)
AZ Water Settlements
More Information
Frequently
Asked Questions Regarding New Use Summonses and Statements of
Claimant
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20090116061711im_/http://www.azwater.gov/dwr/images/2005_acrobat_icon.gif)
Last updated
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
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