Well Water in Prowers County, Colorado: LAWMA

Prowers County's hub already flags that this stretch of the Arkansas River is over-appropriated and that new non-exempt wells generally need an augmentation plan -- but for many well owners along the river here, that plan runs through a specific, real organization: the Lower Arkansas Water Management Association, known locally as LAWMA.

This page covers what's specific to Prowers County. For the general explanation, see the national guide.

LAWMA: a real, member-funded augmentation association, not an abstract requirement

The Lower Arkansas Water Management Association (LAWMA) is a nonprofit, non-governmental augmentation company with members along the Arkansas River's main stem in Bent and Prowers counties, run by a seven-member, unpaid, volunteer board. LAWMA was formed in 1973 after it became clear that the State Engineer would require some form of river augmentation for any large well drawing from the surficial aquifer connected to the Arkansas River -- meaning LAWMA exists specifically to let individual well owners satisfy their augmentation obligation collectively rather than each having to build and defend a standalone augmentation plan.

LAWMA currently counts roughly 207-210 members operating about 685 structures, and owns approximately 18,000 acre-feet of water that it uses to replace depletions caused by members' well pumping, as required by Colorado water law. Its membership isn't limited to farmers -- irrigators, municipalities, rural water associations, commercial users, schools, and construction companies are all represented, reflecting how central this one association is to well-based water use across this part of the valley.

Real membership costs, and what this means for a well-dependent purchase

Joining LAWMA carries concrete, ongoing costs: a per-structure annual fee of $275 or $375 (the amount depends on when the member joined), plus an annual share assessment of $41 per common share. Membership remains open to new members, subject to board approval -- meaning a buyer relying on a well that isn't already a LAWMA member, or isn't already covered by some other approved augmentation plan, should not assume joining is automatic or free, and should budget for these recurring fees as part of the real cost of operating that well going forward.

If you're buying land with an existing well in Prowers County -- particularly along the Arkansas River corridor where LAWMA membership is common -- ask directly whether the well's augmentation obligation is currently satisfied through LAWMA membership (and get the membership and share details, not just a verbal assurance), or through some other court-approved augmentation plan. A well without confirmed augmentation coverage in this over-appropriated basin can face use restrictions or curtailment by the State Engineer's office, so this is a real due-diligence step, not a formality, before treating an existing well as fully usable.

Well Water in Prowers County, Colorado

LAWMA: a real, member-funded augmentation association, not an abstract requirement

Real membership costs, and what this means for a well-dependent purchase

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