The Republican River Water Conservation District was created by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado under Senate Bill 04-235 (see link below) for the purpose of cooperating with and assisting the state to carry out its duty to comply with the limitations and duties imposed upon the state by the Republican River Compact.

The district is managed and controlled by a fifteen-member board of directors, with three-year terms. The county commissioners of Yuma, Phillips, Kit Carson, Washington, Sedgwick, Lincoln, and Logan Counties each appoint one director and one director is appointed by each of the boards of the Marks Butte, Frenchman, W-Y, Sand Hills, Central Yuma, Arikaree, and Plains Ground Water Management Districts. One member is appointed by the Colorado Ground Water Commission and must be a member of that commission. The Board held its first board meeting on August 10, 2004 in Wray, Colorado. Regular scheduled board meetings are the second Thursday in the months of January, April, July, and October.

The district includes all of Yuma and Phillips Counties and that portion of Sedgwick, Logan, Washington, Lincoln, and Kit Carson Counties in northeastern Colorado that make up the Republican River drainage basin. Surface water with measurable live flow within the district consists of the Arikaree River, and the North Fork and South Fork of the Republican River. The Ogallala Aquifer underlies most of the geographic area of the district from which water is pumped to the surface for irrigation, municipal, commercial, industrial, domestic and livestock use.

On October 12, 2004 the Board created the Republican River Water Conservation District Water Activity Enterprise, as allowed by the statute. Through this Enterprise a water use fee was assessed on all irrigated acres within the district, on municipal and commercial uses, as well as a fee for evaporative losses from Bonny Reservoir. Funds collected from these fees are used, along with money from various federal programs, to offer incentives to get water rights voluntarily retired to reduce consumptive use of water within the district.

For more information on the programs and fees, or to views news, minutes, and budgets, please select the appropriate link to the left.