A summary of testimony given by Kansas residents in the State of Kansas v. State of Colorado U.S. Supreme Court case. The court case centered upon Kansas' claim that Colorado irrigators were using more than their fair share of water from the Arkansas River. In their testimony, numerous Kansans commented on the decline in the flow of the Arkansas River between 1870 and 1900. In 1907, the court decided the case in Colorado's favor, refusing to order Colorado to restrict its use of Arkansas River water. However, the court left open the possibility that at some point in the future the economic damage caused to Kansas by Colorado's use of the river might give Kansas the right to relief. Under this doctrine of "equitable apportionment" of economic benefits from water resources, Kansas sued Colorado in 1943. This suit led to the negotiation of the Arkansas River Compact which was approved by Congress in 1949. Kansas sued Colorado again in 1986 claiming that Colorado violated the terms of the compact. The court ruled in Kansas' favor.
Kansas Memory
Kansas Historical Society
State of Kansas v. State of Colorado : abstract of complainant's testimony - 8