SPWRAP Membership Structure & Financing

SPWRAP’s Articles of Incorporation establish the following classes of membership:

Class A  (Agricultural): Farming, ranching, stock watering and related uses, including agricultural wells.

Class I  (Industrial):  Self-supplied water users diverting for power generation, manufacturing, and the production of processed products for sale.

Class M (Municipal): Domestic water supply for groups of people, including water for residential, commercial, industrial, hydropower generation by a municipal water supplier, park, golf course and lawn irrigation, firefighting or any other uses related to operation of a municipal water supply.

Class W  (Water Conservancy and Water Conservation Districts): This class is based on the type of entity rather than on the use of the water provided, and may include subdistricts of water conservancy districts. 

Class X (Miscellaneous) Water users that desire to participate in the Colorado Program but for which none of the above classes of membership would be appropriate, as determined by the Board.

In 2022, SPWRAP had 30 Class A;  27 Class I;  68 Class M;  4 Class W;  and 48 Class X memberships for a total of 177 members. 

Assessment Calculation

SPWRAP assesses its members based on the number of “units” they are issued according to the following calculation:

Class A members are issued one unit for each ten acres irrigated by that member’s ditch system in the previous year. 

Class I members are issued six units per acre foot of diversion.

Class M members are issued six units per single family equivalent tap (SFE).  Since different water providers define SFEs in different ways, for uniformity, SPWRAP considers one SFE to be one-half an acre foot.

Class W members’ number of units depend on whether that member operates facilities causing depletions as determined by PRRIP. Class W members with depletions are issued one Unit per 100 irrigated acres within the district. Class W members without depletions are issued one Unit per 200 irrigated acres within the district.

Class X members are issued a number of units on a case-by-case basis as determined by the Board.

Class M members continue to account for the majority of SPWRAP membership and also contribute the highest aggregate assessments annually.

In order to ensure that all members join “on the same footing,” members that join after SPWRAP’s first year (2007) are required by SPWRAP’s bylaws to pay back assessments for 2007 to the present.  Assessment rates have varied over the years, and there is interest on the prior years’ assessments.