Diversion
The act of physically removing water from a stream, aquifer or other source for use under a right.
Diversion works are the physical infrastructure: ditches, headgates, canals, wells, pumps. In some states, notably Colorado, water is administered against these structures rather than against abstract rights, which makes structure-level data the operative record.
Permitted diversion is also the number that gets summed to judge whether a basin is over-appropriated. Comparing total permitted diversion against measured streamflow is the fastest way to see the gap between paper water and wet water.
Where this shows up in the data
See also
More in Water law
Stop reading definitions. Look at the data.
2.1M+ water rights, 26 layers and 17 states. Free to start.
Create a free account