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Colorado Asks U.S. Supreme Court to Reject Nebraska's South Platte River Lawsuit
Colorado argues Nebraska’s lawsuit lacks sufficient facts and urges state-level negotiations on South Platte River water rights before Supreme Court involvement.
- October 15, 2025, State of Colorado asked the U.S. Supreme Court to decline State of Nebraska's case, saying Nebraska's suit asks justices to `weigh in on a hunch` and `hasn't done its homework`.
- On July 16, Nebraska asked the Supreme Court to decide if it can use eminent domain for the Perkins County Canal and whether Colorado complies with the South Platte River Compact, alleging up to 1.3 million acre-feet are diverted.
- Nebraska has allocated $628 million for the project and sent condemnation offers of $1.4 million for about 650 acres, while the compact requires curtailment below 120 cubic feet per second.
- Attorney General Phil Weiser called the Cornhusker filing `baseless` and Gov. Jared Polis labeled it a `meritless escalation`; Colorado says the U.S. Supreme Court will decide by July whether to hear the case and appoint a special master if accepted.
- The canal dispute centers on the Perkins County Canal Project's financial stakes, which involve more than 850,000 acres irrigated by the South Platte River and serve over 85% of Colorado's population.
13 Articles
13 Articles
Beatrice Daily Sun
Lincoln Journal StarColorado says Nebraska can’t make it supply more South Platte water
Colorado told the U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday that the South Platte River Compact offers no room to make it curtail Front Range surface water or groundwater usage for Nebraska's use.
The Fort Morgan Times
Colorado asks Supreme Court to reject Nebraska’s South Platte River lawsuit, calling it ‘premature and unfounded’
Colorado’s top leaders on Wednesday were not short on adjectives to describe Nebraska’s petition asking the country’s highest court to weigh in on a long-simmering water dispute between the states. Attorney General Phil Weiser called the Cornhusker State’s filing over the South Platte River Compact “baseless” during a news conference announcing Colorado’s legal response. The canal Nebraska wants to build here, he said, is an “unserious boondoggl…
Colorado to U.S. Supreme Court: Nebraska is working "on a hunch" over disputed South Platte River
Colorado told the U.S. Supreme Court in a brief Wednesday that Nebraska’s suit seeking confirmation of its water rights in Colorado is asking justices to “weigh in on a hunch,” and that Nebraska “hasn’t done its homework”on permitting and legal work before debating the fate of precious South Platte River water. Colorado’s response brief to Nebraska’s U.S. Supreme Court filing in July chides Nebraska for being late to “confront the hard questio…
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