About Us
The University of Denver Water Law Review is an internationally circulated, semi-annual publication that serves as a high-quality forum for the exchange of ideas, information, and legal and policy analyses concerning water law.
First published in 1997, the Water Law Review is a practical resource for lawyers, policy makers, and students. Our continued involvement in the water law community allows us to stay current on developing water issues. Every issue includes up to date articles on developing water law issues, as well as several other useful and interesting resources such as biographies of water practitioners, book notes, conference reports, and coverage of water cases from all U.S. federal and state courts.
The Water Law Review is a student run journal. Students are responsible for the production of the journal, from the solicitation of articles to the final content editing and publishing. Students gain valuable experience in legal research, writing, management, and water law from their involvement on the Water Law Review.
Mission Statement
The Water Law Review seeks to provide a unique, high quality forum for sharing ideas, information, legal analyses and policy analyses concerning water law issues. It is the intent of the editorial board and staff to make the Review a valuable resource for the practitioner, the scholar, and the policy maker.
The Review primarily emphasizes water law issues; however, we understand that nothing exists in isolation, neither in law nor in nature. Therefore, it is the express policy of the Review to solicit and to publish scholarly works that discuss water law as it affects and is affected by related areas, legal or otherwise. To that end, we remain pleased to present articles by nationally recognized experts, practitioners, officials, scholars, and others involved in the fields of water law and water planning.
We do not restrict the Review’s coverage to any one jurisdiction. We live in a highly complex global community where water remains one of the most critical components. The more ideas and information we share, the more successful we will be when managing today’s problems and tomorrow’s challenges. Therefore, we invite our readers to submit articles that address the full range of issues in water law and water management from any geographical location.
Editorial Board
Rob Bullard
Editor-in-Chief
Rob is excited to serve as the Volume 17 Editor-in-Chief. A native of Franklin, Tennessee, Rob earned his BA in Environmental Studies from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. After a stint as an English instructor in Santiago, Chile, Rob was lucky enough to land a job with the Tennessee chapter of The Nature Conservancy. Now a member of the Conservancy's Worldwide Office Legal Department, Rob spends most daylight hours specializing in conservation land transactions while attending classes as a member of DU's esteemed evening division. Rob's favorite days are spent gardening, cooking, and playing music with his wife Becky and son Noah, or standing in a river with fly rod in hand, assessing the sufficiency of instream flow for piscatorial purposes.
Aubrey Markson
Managing Editor
Aubrey Markson is a third-year law student and is honored to serve as Managing Editor of DU's Water Law Review, Volume 17. Aubrey is originally from Arlington, Texas. She received her Bachelor's degree from New York University and decided to come to Colorado to pursue her JD. Throughout law school, Aubrey has held various internships. She was a legal intern for Judge Edward Moss in Colorado's 17th Judicial District, a law clerk at the U.S. EPA - Region 8, and a law clerk at Denver Water. She split this past summer participating in the EPA's Summer Honors Program in Dallas and working in the Fort Worth City Attorney's Office. She enjoys writing court reports for the Water Law Review and editing articles for publication. Her interests include cooking, skiing, and exploring Denver.
Jenna Anderson
Managing Editor
Jenna is thrilled to serve as Volume 17 Managing Editor. Jenna grew up in San Diego, California playing water polo and swimming. She received her BA in International Relations and Human Rights from Claremont McKenna College while serving as Editor-in-Chief of her college's political journal. After working for a San Diego law firm and a Boulder environmental consulting group, Jenna moved to Denver to start law school. While at Denver Law, Jenna has interned for Judge McGahey in Colorado's 2nd District Court, spent two semesters at the Colorado Attorney General's Office, and is currently interning with the Denver DA gaining courtroom experience. Outside of school, Jenna spends time with her Denver-native husband Duncan, and their cat Puppy. Jenna loves to cook, read, hike, and explore all that Colorado has to offer
Zander Louden
Production Editor
Zander is a Denver native taking the reigns as Production Editor. He has always enjoyed the standard array of Colorado mountain adventures – especially when they involve going fast. A recent backpacking trip found Zander hiking around the beautiful four-pass loop above Aspen, CO. With fresh experience at the Public Defender's office, Zander is excited to continue learning about and eventually practicing criminal defense and environmental law. At home, his pastimes include watching as many movies as he can and arguing with his roommates about sports, video games, and current events.
Chris Stevens
Symposium Editor
Chris Stevens was born in Southern Wyoming and grew up in Fort Collins, Colorado. He graduated from the University of Colorado in 2009 with a degree in English literature and a minor in religious studies. After graduation, Chris worked in Beaver Creek and Red Feather Lakes, taking every opportunity he could to spend time outdoors. He decided to enroll in law school because he wants to make sure future generations may fish the same streams and hike the same trails he did growing up. In addition to his responsibilities as Symposium Editor, Chris also serves as Board Member at Large for the Natural Resource and Environmental Law Society at DU, and works in the Student Law Office, where he has litigated as a student attorney for both the Environmental and Criminal Defense programs. Chris lives in Denver, and in his spare time he likes to read.
Austin Rueschhoff
Business Editor
Austin is thrilled to join the Editorial Board as the Business Editor for Volume 17 of the Water Law Review. Originally from Lawrence, Kansas, Austin moved to Colorado to attend Colorado State University and loved it so much he never looked back. After earning Bachelor’s degrees in political science and history, he worked in public policy in the Colorado General Assembly and then as a Research Analyst for the National Conference of State Legislatures while attending law school in the evening division. This past summer, Austin interned with the United States Attorney’s Office in Denver, and is now a law clerk with Poulson, Odell & Peterson, where he focuses on natural resources litigation and transactional work. In his spare moments, Austin enjoys camping and hiking with his wife and young daughter, trying to find birdies on the golf course, and keeping tabs on his hometown sports teams.
Davis Wert
Court Reports Editor
Davis Wert is pleased to serve as a Court Reports Editor, alongside Christopher Butler, for Volume 17 of the Water Law Review. A Denver native, Davis attended college at Colgate University in chilly Hamilton, New York where he received his B.A. in history, writing a thesis on the League of Nations while abroad in London. After college and prior to law school, Davis returned to Denver and spent a year working as property manager at his childhood summer camp outside of Denver and as a legislative aide at the Colorado General Assembly. Davis enjoys running, skiing, playing Ultimate Frisbee, hiking in the mountains (he’s tackled eleven “14ers” to date), and homebrewing.
Chris Butler
Court Reports Editor
Chris Butler is pleased to serve as a Court Reports Editor, alongside Davis Wert, for Volume 17 of the Water Law Review. Chris received his B.S. in Chemical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. Prior to and during law school, Chris has worked as a Chemical Engineer for URS Corporation while attending DU's evening division. Chris has experience designing water treatment; oil and gas; chemical manufacturing; and nuclear facilities. Chris enjoys playing soccer, skiing, and hiking.
Natasha Schissler
Article Editor
Having grown up in Moscow, Russia, Natasha Schissler was quite the city girl when she moved to Denver about eight years ago to attend the University of Colorado Denver. Ever since then, the great Colorado outdoors and her Colorado-native husband have gradually converted her into a hiker, camper, and snowboarder. Being an immigrant, Natasha has volunteered for many non-profit organizations providing services for refugees and low income immigrants. She and her rescue dog Tula are also big animal fans, and Natasha always strives to find some time outside of school to help local animal shelters.
Jim Fogg
Article Editor
Jim is a third year law student at the University of Denver’s Sturm College of Law where he serves as an Article Editor on the University of Denver Water Law Review, a member of the National Trial Team, and a board member of the Criminal Law Association. Jim has worked at two Denver-based law firms and spent his last summer as a Summer Associate in Holland & Hart’s environmental, energy, and natural resources practice group. Prior to that, he worked as a Student Attorney in DU’s Environmental Law Clinic, challenging the issuance of a permit by a federal administrative agency. Jim holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies – Society & Policy, magna cum laude, a B.A. in Political Science, and a minor in Philosophy from the University of Colorado at Boulder. As a Colorado native, Jim has come to appreciate the natural wonders our state has to offer. Outside of law school, he is an avid fly-fisherman and also enjoys backpacking, skiing and hiking the Rocky Mountains. At home, Jim enjoys reading, running, and cheering for the Denver Broncos.
Ashley Jackson
Article Editor
Ashley Jackson Novander is a native of Colorado's Front Range. She received her Bachelors at CU Boulder with honors in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies. Ashley volunteered and interned with various wildlife rehabilitation organizations following college. Ashley is currently a 3L at the University of Denver, focusing on environmental law. She lives with her husband, two dogs, and cat in Denver. She loves animals, cooking, camping, and traveling.
Aaron Brunskill
Article Editor
Aaron Brunskill is excited to serve as an Article Editor on the Volume 17 University of Denver Water Law Review. Aaron, a Colorado native, graduated from Colorado State University in Fort Collins with a B.A. in Liberal Arts. During his first summer at DU, Aaron worked for the Office of General Counsel for Colorado State University, and is currently a 2L intern with the honorable Judge Robert L. McGahey Jr. of the Second Judicial District. When he can make it outside of the school building, Aaron enjoys country swing dancing, snowboarding, and the art of motorcycle maintenance.
Koley Borchard
Article Editor
Koley, a native Coloradan, is currently a third-year student at the University of Denver, Sturm College of Law. He joined the Water Law Review in the fall of 2012 and now serves as an Articles Editor. In law school, Koley has interned for a few different entities, including the Colorado Public Defender, a state district court judge, and the Environmental Law Clinic at the law school. He is currently interning for the U.S. Air Force. In the clinic, Koley represented a citizens group against a federal agency in regard to a permit it issued for a large event in Colorado. He holds a B.A. in International Affairs from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Prior to law school, Koley worked several summers for the U.S. Forest Service, including two summers as a wildland firefighter. After growing up in western Colorado and working for the Forest Service, Koley always enjoys trips back into the mountains, whether skiing, snowmobiling, hiking, camping, or simply a visit home.
Christopher Stork
Article Editor
Christopher Robert Stork is a third-year law student and a native of the Arkansas Valley in Southeastern Colorado. He serves as an Articles Editor on the University of Denver Water Law Review and is excited for the upcoming year. Chris is also currently a student attorney in the Environmental Law Clinic. In the past, Chris worked at the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the US District Court District of Colorado for Judge Robert E. Blackburn. Chris received his undergraduate education at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs where he double majored in English and History. Outside of law school, he is an avid golfer and Colorado sports fan.
Andy McFadden
Online Content Editor
Combining his interests in technology and the outdoors, Andy McFadden is grateful to be working as the Online Content Editor for Vol. 17 of the Water Law Review. Prior to law school, Andy studied Biochemistry at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and post graduation he worked in a behavioral neuroscience lab at CU. After discovering a serious interest in the American legal system, Andy decided to leave the lab rats behind and enter DU law. When not engrossed in law related activity, Andy escapes to the mountains to hike, climb, and most importantly, ski.
Heidi Ruckriegle
Sources Editor
Heidi Ruckriegle admires all the hard work that goes into every University of Denver Water Law Review publication and is excited for her dual roles as Senior Staff Editor and Sources Editor. As a native Coloradan, she has traveled all over the state to hike, bike, raft, and ski – such explorations led her to develop a true love for the State's natural resources. Heidi enjoys Colorado so much that she has kept her formal education within the rectangle – Heidi graduated from University of Colorado with degrees in Business and Spanish before moving to Denver for law school. In her time between CU and DU, she moved to Costa Rica to work as a wilderness instructor for Outward Bound. While attending DU Law, Heidi has enjoyed co-authoring two articles with Professor Laitos, as well as interning with Judge Blackburn of the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, and the Region 8 Environmental Protection Agency. Heidi looks forward to starting her legal career by clerking in the chambers of the Honorable Justice Gregory J. Hobbs, Jr. of the Colorado Supreme Court after she graduates.
Tom I. Romero, II
Faculty Advisor
Professor Romero teaches and researches in the areas of the legal history of the American West, Latinos and the law, school desegregation in multiracial contexts, property, land use, water law, and urban development and local government in the United States and Latin America. His work on such topics have appeared in the Colorado Law Review, the Utah Law Review, the New Mexico Law Review, the Albany Law Review, the Journal of Gender, Race, and Justice, the Temple Political and Civil Rights Law Review, the Seattle Journal for Social Justice, the Oregon Review of International Law, and the Chicano-Latino Law Review, among others. His most recent scholarship can be found here. Professor Romero recently published an article on the relationship between Water law and Critical Race Theory in the Denver University Water Law Review which is being re-published in the University of Miami Race and Social Justice Law Review. Currently, Dr. Romero is revising a book manuscript on multiracial formation and the law in post-World War II Denver, Colorado; where among other aspect of the analysis, he extensively explores the role of metropolitan water development in Keyes v. School Board No. One, 413 US 189 (1973) (the first non-Southern school desegregation case to reach the United States Supreme Court). In addition, Dr. Romero is collaborating with the Sturm College of Law’s Community Economic Development Clinic to modernize the corporate documents of acequia associations working in the San Luis Valley of Colorado.
Staff
Senior Staff Editors
Devon Bell
Nathanial C. Brown
Sarah Cassinis
Amy Wegner Kho
Skylar Marshall
Sarah McGrath
Emily Murphy
Christine Romo
Heidi Ruckriegle
James K. Tart
Holly Taylor
Staff Editors
Peter Almaas
Autumn Aspen
Edgar Barraza
Ashley Basta
Daniel Birney
Kevin Boyle
Garrett Davey
Emily Dowd
Michael Edlen
Matthew Freemann
Lauren Hammond
James Hanseen
Gabriel Kester
Bradley Kloewer
Elizabeth Kutch
Meghan Leemon
Rafael Mendez
Emily Miller
Dane Mueller
Joshua Murphy
Jennifer Najjar
Lillie Parker
Dale Ratliff
Joseph Risch
Nicholas Rising
Allison Robinette
Erika Stokely
Gina Tincher
Advisory Board
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Amy Beatie
Executive Director
Colorado Water Trust
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William H. Caile, Esq.
Holland & Hart
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James Corbridge
Professor
University of Colorado, School of Law
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John J. Cyran
Water Referee
Colorado Water Division 1
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John M. Dingess, Esq.
Duncan, Ostrander & Dingess, PC
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Harrison C. Dunning
Professor
University of California at Davis School of Law
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David Hallford, Esq.
Balcomb & Green, PC
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Stephen Leonhardt, Esq.
Burns, Figa & Will, P.C.
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Jim Lochhead
CEO/Manager
Denver Water
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David Robbins, Esq.
Hill & Robbins, PC
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Susan Ryan, Esq.
Ryley, Carlock & Applewhite
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Janice Sheftel, Esq.
Bradford, Shipps & Sheftel, LLP
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A. Dan Tarlock
Professor
Chicago–Kent School of Law Illinois Institute of Technology
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Jason Turner, Esq.
Associate Counsel
Colorado River Water Conservation District
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Dick Wolfe, P.E.
State Engineer
Colorado Division of Water Resources
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Dr. Patricia Wouters
IWRA Board of Directors
Director, Water Law and Policy Programme, University of Dundee, Scotland