About Jason Groves:
Jason is a partner with the firm and represents a wide variety of water providers and water users throughout the State. He confines his practice to water rights planning and development, water litigation, water transfers, water rights ownership, ditch easements, and water quality issues. Jason practices in all state Water Courts, the Colorado Supreme Court, and in administrative hearings before state agencies, including the State Engineer’s Office, the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, and the Colorado Groundwater Commission. Jason is licensed to practice in Colorado and Montana.
Education:
J.D. with honors, University of Tulsa College of Law, 2013
- Sustainable Energy and Resources Law Certificate
- Notes and Comments Editor, Energy Law Journal
- Student Editor, ABA Section of Environment, Energy and Resources Year in Review
- John and Hazel Rogers Memorial Scholarship
- CALI Awards: Water Law and Administrative Law
B.A. magna cum laude, University of Oklahoma, 2005
Presentations & Publications:
Colorado General Assembly to Consider Bill to Penalize Investment Water Speculation, 26 Western Water Law & Policy Reporter 35 (Dec. 2021).
U.S. Supreme Court Hears Oral Arguments in Mississippi v. Tennessee—The Court Could Set Precedent for Interstate Groundwater Disputes Across the United States, 26 Western Water Law & Policy Reporter 11 (Nov. 2021).
Colorado Update of Physical Water Transfers: Thornton Pipeline Project Moves Forward in Weld County, But Remains Stalled in Larimer County, 25 Western Water Law & Policy Reporter 303 (Oct. 2021).
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Previews Draft Legislation for State- Run Dredge and Fill Permit Program, 25 Western Water Law & Policy Reporter 253 (Jul. 2021).
Ninth Circuit Reverses Dismissal of Navajo Nation Complaint, Allows Tribe to Move Forward on Breach of Trust Claim for Management of Colorado River, 25 Western Water Law & Policy Reporter 229 (Jun. 2021).
Colorado Legislative Update of Water-Related Bills, 25 Western Water Law & Policy Reporter 158 (Apr. 2021).
Rio Blanco Water District Fails to Acquire Augmentation Water Rights to Protect against Compact Call—Water Court Leaves Possibility Open for Future Users, 25 Western Water Law & Policy Reporter (Feb. 2021).
A Review of Legislative and Judicial Developments in Colorado’s Anti-Speculation Water Law, 25 Western Water Law & Policy Reporter 69 (Jan. 2021).
Colorado River District Completes Study on the Economic Impacts of Demand Management Program, 25 Western Water Law & Policy Reporter 50 (Dec. 2020).
Colorado Water Quality Control Commission Adopts New Policy Addressing PFAS, Forever Chemicals, 25 Western Water Law & Policy Reporter 13 (Nov. 2020).
In the Midst of Drought, Water Conservation Districts In Colorado Ask Voters for Water-Benefitting Tax Increases, 24 Western Water Law & Policy Reporter 314 (Oct. 2020).
Colorado Division of Water Resources Issues 2020 Water Rights Abandonment List, 24 Western Water Law & Policy Reporter 292 (Sept. 2020).
Montana Supreme Court Affirms Water Court’s Apportionment of Disputed Irrigation Rights, 22 Western Water Law & Policy Reporter 88 (Jan. 2018).
Colorado Issues Its First-Ever Statewide Water Plan, 20 Western Water Law & Policy Reporter 67 (Jan. 2016).
High and Dry: U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s New Policy Prohibits the Use of Federal Project Water for Marijuana Cultivation, 18 Western Water Law & Policy Reporter 251 (July 2014).
Montana Water Rights, Sales, and Transfers, CLE Presentation (Lorman Education, Montana 2016).
Montana v. Wyoming Update: Special Master Finds Wyoming Liable for Yellowstone River Compact Violations, But for Only Two Years, 19 Western Water Law & Policy Reporter 138 (Mar. 2015).
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and Western Water Providers Unveil New Program to Address Declining Reservoir Levels on the Colorado River, 19 Western Water Law & Policy Reporter 35 (Dec. 2014).
High and Dry: U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s New Policy Prohibits the Use of Federal Project Water for Marijuana Cultivation, 18 Western Water Law & Policy Reporter 251 (July 2014)
When Floodwaters Recede: The Intersection of Colorado Water Rights Law, Infrastructure and a 1,000-Year Rain Event, 18 Wester Water Law & Policy Reporter 3 (Nov. 2013).
Responding to Drought: The Colorado State Legislature Enacts Multiple Water-Related Bills in the 2013 Session, 17 Western Water Law & Policy Reporter 262 (July 2013).
Oklahoma Supreme Court Requires Disclosure of Ex Parte Communications between Agency, General Counsel, and the USGS in Water Rights Determination, 17 Western Water Law & Policy Reporter 250 (June 2013); also published in 8 Eastern Water Law & Policy Reporter, 181 (June 2013).
Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission Mandates Statewide Groundwater Sampling and Monitoring Near Drilling Sites, 17 Western Water Law & Policy Reporter 170 (Apr. 2013).
U.S. Supreme Court to Hear Two Interstate Water Compact Disputes: A Preview of What’s to Come, 8 Eastern Water Law & Policy Reporter, 67 (Mar. 2013); also published in 17 Western Water Law & Policy Reporter 159 (Apr. 2013).
U.S. District Court of Colorado Vacates the Forest Service’s 2012 Interim Directive and Upholds Ski Area Controlled Water Rights…For Now, 17 Western Water Law & Policy Reporter 112 (Feb. 2013).
Professional Affiliations:
- American Bar Association, Section of Environment, Energy and Resources
- Colorado Bar Association, Water Law Section
- Montana Bar Association, Water Law Section
- Editorial Board Member, Western Water Law and Policy Reporter
Community Involvement:
- Board Chair, Parks Open Space and Trails (Town of Basalt, CO)
- Past President, Ferdinand Hayden Chapter of Trout Unlimited
Selected Professional Experience:
- Summer Associate, Crowley Fleck PLLP (Billings, MT)
- Law Clerk, Riggs Abney (Tulsa, OK)