Adjudications Overview

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF ADJUDICATIONS PROGRAM

The general stream adjudication is a judicial proceeding to determine the nature, extent and relative priority of water rights in Arizona. See Arizona Revised Statutes (A.R.S.) §§ 45-251 to 45-264.  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.  Click here to see a Map of Adjudicated Areas in Arizona.

Thousands of claimants and water users are joined in these proceedings that will result in the Superior Court issuing a comprehensive final decree of water rights for both river systems.   There are over 39,000 parties in the Gila Adjudication and over 6,000 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.

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 Adjudications Program is tasked with providing technical support for the adjudication through the investigations of claims for water rights and preparation of technical reports.  ADWR’s Legal Division represents the Department before the adjudication court and the Special Master, assists with the preparation of technical reports and provides information as requested.

Click Gila River and Little Colorado River General Stream Adjudications for more information.

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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.

Recent Activity

Catalog of Proposed Water Rights

CV 6417 In Re The Little Colorado River Adjudication

CV 6417-201 In Re Hopi Tribe Priority

CV 6417-300 In Re Navajo Nation

CV 6417-400 In Re Lower Little Colorado River Subwatershed

W1-103 In re San Pedro Subflow Technical Report

W1-11-1174 In Re PWR 107 Claims

W1-11-1675 In re St. David Irrigation District

W1-11-1691 In Re Eli and Ila Fenn

W1-11-1872 In re Branson L. and Geneva Sherman

W1-11-1875 In Re Franklin T. and Vernalee East

W1-11-1884 In Re Eldon J. and Shirley Barney

W1-11-1889 In Re Paul and Sandra Brick

W1-11-1898 In Re Eldon J. and Shirley Barney

W1-11-19 In Re Sands Group of Cases

W1-11-1908 In Re Rex O. and Gail Barney

W1-11-1910 In Re Leland K. and Paula F. Barney

W1-11-1912 In Re Chester L. Brown

W1-11-1915 In Re Thurber and Louise Larson

W1-11-1917 In Re Newell A. & Katherine Barney

W1-11-1986 In re Max J. and Donna Kartchner

W1-11-2401 In re Mercer Group of Cases

W1-11-2421 In Re Magma Copper- De Minimis

W1-11-2428 In Re Magma Copper- Mining

W1-11-2503 In Re Magma Copper- Irrigation

W1-11-2590 In re ASLD-Bingham Sacaton Ranch I

W1-11-2665 In Re Redfield Canyon State Claims

W1-11-2690 In Re Pima County Flood Control District

W1-11-2694 In Re Pima County Irrigation

W1-11-2696 In Re Bayless and Berkalew

W1-11-2798 In re ASARCO- Diversion

W1-11-2801 In re ASARCO- Irrigation

W1-11-3107 In re Paul L. Sale Invest. Co.

W1-11-3114 In re Farrier

W1-11-3115 In re Edward H. and Bettie M. Gegax

W1-11-3117 In re Cruz C. Hernandez

W1-11-3119 In re Augustine and Martha Avechuco

W1-11-3123 In re Mary Ann Cluff

W1-11-3124 In re Jose R. and Rita Morales

W1-11-3125 In re Stanley C. and Molly Yoder

W1-11-3126 In re Rudy and Mary Louise Ruiz

W1-11-3203 In re Ramon and Sandra Ochoa

W1-11-3239 In re Manuela Franco

W1-11-3246 In re Clarence R. Miller

W1-11-3300 In Re Arizona Chapter of the Nature Conservancy- Aravaipa Creek De Minimis

W1-11-3301 In Re The Nature Conservancy- Instream Flow

W1-11-3310 In Re Larsen

W1-11-3311 In Re Luebbermann

W1-11-3312 In Re Brighthawk LLC

W1-11-3313 In Re Barassi

W1-11-3314 In re Iser

W1-11-3315 In Re Young

W1-11-3317 In re Lester Young

W1-11-3318 In Re Bowers

W1-11-3320 In re Geldmacher

W1-11-3322 In re Ouillette

W1-11-3323 In re Wallace

W1-11-3324 In Re Joel William Rubin

W1-11-3325 In re SLD-Magoffin I

W1-11-3326 In Re Lackner

W1-11-3329 In Re BLM- Nature Conservancy Leased Land

W1-11-3338 In re SLD-Magoffin II

W1-11-3356 In re SLD-Withrow Ranch, Inc.

W1-11-3367 In re Magoffin II

W1-11-3374 In re Kaibab Industries-Stock

W1-11-3377 In Re The Nature Conservancy- Salazar Tapia Ditch (Consolidated)

W1-11-3378 In Re Alex Pacheco and Christine Salazar Pacheco

W1-11-3379 In Re Miguel Miranda et al

W1-11-3380 In Re Sandra Fraser, Daniel and Cindy Tapia, and Norma Luepke

W1-11-3385 In re Elizabeth Hilliard

W1-11-3386 In re Ruben and Delta Bryce

W1-11-3394 In Re W.H. Claridge

W1-11-3395 In re Karen C. LeCount

W1-11-3397 In re Whiting Ranches

W1-11-3407 In re SLD-Magoffin III

W1-11-3441 In re Anthony Lunt- State Trust Land

W1-11-3449 In Re Anthony Lunt- Stockponds

W1-11-3450 In re Anderson Development Corp.

W1-11-3451 In Re Anthony Lunt- Irrigation

Disclosure documents

Statement of Claimant and New Use Summons Information

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.  100,000 SOCs have been filed in the adjudications in response to the original and new use summons.  Through the end of calendar year 2018, over 85,000 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.

Technical reports

ADWR prepares and publishes technical reports on specific issues or factual matters within the adjudications, such as Indian water rights settlements, Hydrographic Survey Reports, de minimis water uses, the determination of subflow, comments on procedural issues, and status reports.

Hydrographic Survey Reports (HSRs)

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 multi-volume 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.  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 supplements to final HSRs as necessary to update information, and provides additional notice to the parties.  

Indian Water Rights Settlements

Other Reports (Subflow, De Minimis, etc)