Practice Areas & Industries: Holland & Hart LLP

Practice/Industry Group Overview

Holland & Hart's water attorneys advise and repreent a wide variety of clients on virtually all types of water rights matters, including water rights transfers and issues, water supply development and water quality issues.  We also have substantial experience in litigation involving water rights matters across the Mountain West.  We effectively represent our clients' interests in federal and state court litigation, including special state water courts, and in contested administrative proceedings before state water officials.  Our water law practice involves commercial and other transactions including a wide variety of matters that routinely require skilled negotiations and first rate administrative experience.  We handle water rights sales and purchases, changes in point of diversion, place and manner of use, and a variety of diverse matters concerning water facilitites, distribution, storage, exchange, use, and reuse of water.  We work with state water departments including the Colorado and Nevada Divisions of Water Resources, local water providers, and governmental jurisdictions regarding water rights, water rights transfers and infrastructure, water supply projects for real estate development, energy projects and mining activities.

Services Available

Our practice includes:

• Litigating in state and federal courts to protect the quantity and quality of water supplies and advising and representing clients in a wide variety of matters involving diversion, distribution, storage, exchange, use, and reuse of water.
• Representing clients in the court system, including special water courts and appellate courts, in connection with matters involving adjudication of water rights, water quality issues, federal reserved water rights, changes in use, plans for augmentation, exchanges, water contracts, utility matters, water well permits, takings of water rights, rights of way and Indian water rights.
• Participating in administrative proceedings with state water and water quality officials on all water regulatory matters.
• Counseling clients on water utility, municipal and special district matters such as elections, bonded indebtedness, eminent domain, taxation and related issues.
• Obtaining permits, licenses and approvals for construction and operation of water and hydroelectric projects.
• Representing state agencies in interstate disputes, federal reserved rights litigation, Endangered Species Act cases and other water matters.
• Representing water districts and municipalities in complex water matters.
• Working with federal resource agencies, state water officials and local governmental boards in water-related permitting processes.
• Obtaining required permits, licenses and approvals for construction and operation of everything from new real estate developments to water and hydroelectric projects.