Judge signs off on Crazy Mountain Ranch water agreement

Crazy Mountain Ranch will be allowed to continue to have exclusive authority to electronically operate gates for a ditch and lake following a judge’s approval.

Park County District Court Judge Adam Larsen signed an agreement between the ranch, water commissioners and other water users in the Shields Valley on June 26. Larsen had previously approved a temporary order outlining a negotiated agreement between the parties.

“The order jointly submitted by CMR and the water commissioners reflects the approach outlined in our original request and provides a framework to monitor and manage flows with commissioner oversight,” David Hardwick, general manager at Crazy Mountain Ranch, said in a statement.

The ranch had argued it wanted authority to regulate its water, obtained through temporary leases from itself under a new law, to make small adjustments reflective of weather conditions.

“CMR is responding to changing water flows on a daily, and sometimes hourly, basis at the Upper Criswell Ditch headgate, and we will continue to share data with the commissioners to help ensure water is measured and distributed appropriately,” Hardwick said.

Water commissioners will still have oversight, but the information will be provided by the private dude ranch that is using the water to irrigate its newly built golf course.

“CMR shall provide daily updates to the Commissioners via email regarding status and operation of the Rock Lake Tunnel gate and the Upper Criswell headgate,” Larsen’s order reads. “Until the Commissioners have access to real-time flow data on the Upper Criswell dashboard, CMR’s daily report shall include flow readings in the Upper Criswell ditch when the headgate is open.”

Scott Knutson, of Knutson Angus in Clyde Park, said the ruling came as no surprise given the agreement on terms.

"The larger issue of long-term water usage remains unresolved," he said in an email. "We’ll see how well the 'neighbors' follow the rules for the remainder of this irrigation season.”

Larsen concluded his order saying that if any other water users have a dispute about allocation, they should attempt to resolve the issue directly with the water commissioners.