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Show 520 ADMINISTRATION OF STREAM WATER RIGHTS AND DISTRIBUTION the adjudication of water rights in watercourses. Various procedures for enforcing or carrying out such adjudications are discussed in this chapter. All 19 Western States (except Hawaii) have some kind of statutory provisions respecting the distribution of water to holders of rights to its use. (Statutes of Hawaii confer upon commissioners, now circuit judges, the authority to enforce specific performance of judgments.2 This, however, does not fit into the category we are here considering.) The existence and extent of water administrative organizations, the degree to which they are being utilized, and their relative importance in the State water control programs all vary considerably. For instance, Montana has provisions for courts to appoint water commissioners to act under the courts' orders; however, no administrative function is involved.3 In Nevada, the State administrative officials, in distributing water pursuant to a court adjudication, are deemed to be officers of the court, under its supervision and control.4 The other Western States have statutory administration provisions of varying character. The Colorado system set the pattern for the numerous procedures which followed, beginning with Wyoming. Colorado's is a purely administrative proceeding. Its original and still primary purpose is to execute and enforce the water rights decrees of the courts. After adjudicating the water rights in such an action, the courts generally do not again become involved unless and until called upon to settle some particular controversy connected with the administrative program or for injunctive relief or damages. As stated in chapter 15, State supervision of adjudication and diversion procedures in Colorado have gone hand in hand since 1879-1881.5 The earliest Colorado provision-which was the earliest in the history of statutory administration procedures-was for water commissioners to supervise diversions pursuant to decreed priorities.6 Later the organization was expanded to include superintendents of water divisions-subsequently called irrigation division engineers7-who supervised the work of the water district commis- sioners, and who in turn were under the general supervision of the State Engineer.8 Currently, the State of Colorado is divided into seven water divisions that generally follow major watershed boundaries.9 Each division is headed by a division engineer10 who, under the general supervision of the State Engineer,11 2Haw. Rev. Stat. § 664-37 (1968). 3Mont. Rev. Codes Ann. § § 89-1001 to -1024 (1964). 4Nev. Rev. Stat. § 533.220 (Supp. 1967). sColo. Laws 1819, p. 94, Laws 1881, p. 142. 6Colo. Laws 1879, p. 94. 7Colo. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 148-12-1 (1963). 'Colo. Laws 1887, p. 295. "Colo. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 148-21-8 (Supp. 1969). l0Id. § 148-21-9. 11 Id. § 148-11-5. |