U.S. v. Bluewater-Toltec Irrigation District

Full title: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, IN ITS OWN RIGHT AND FOR AND ON BEHALF OF THE…

Court: United States Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit

Date published: Dec 11, 1986

806 F.2d 986 (10th Cir. 1986)

Opinion

No. 84-1851.

December 11, 1986.

Peter Thomas White, Sp. Asst. Atty. Gen. (Eric R. Biggs, Sp. Asst. Atty. Gen., Paul Bardacke, Atty. Gen., Douglas Meiklejohn, Asst. Atty. Gen., with him on the briefs), State Engineer Office, Santa Fe, N.M., for defendant-appellee State of New Mexico ex rel. S.E. Reynolds, State Engineer.

Paul L. Bloom and Benjamin J. Phillips, White, Koch, Kelly McCarthy, P.A., Santa Fe, N.M., for defendants-appellees City of Grants and Grants Municipal Schools.

Richard A. Simms of Hinkle, Cox, Eaton, Coffield Hensley, Santa Fe, N.M., for defendants-appellees Kerr-McGee Corp., Atlantic Richfield Co. and Fernandez Co., Ltd.

John B. Draper and Galen M. Buller of Montgomery Andrews, P.A., Santa Fe, N.M., for defendant-appellee El Paso Natural Gas Co.

Clifford K. Atkinson and Walter E. Stern, Modrall, Sperling, Roehl, Harris Sisk, P.A., Albuquerque, N.M., for defendants-appellees Berryhill, Exxon, N.M., and Arizona Land Co., Santa Fe Mining, Inc., Santa Fe Pacific Railroad Co. and Star Lake Railroad Co.

Arturo G. Ortega of Ortega Snead, P.A., Albuquerque, N.M., (Harold A. Ranquist of Payne Ranquist, P.C., Albuquerque, N.M., with him on the briefs) for Amicus Acoma Indian Pueblo.

Alan R. Taradash, of Nordhaus, Haltom, Taylor Taradash, Albuquerque, N.M., for Amicus Laguna Indian Pueblo.

Appeal from the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico; Bobby R. Baldock, Judge.

Before LOGAN and MOORE, Circuit Judges, and BROWN, District Judge.^_

_ Honorable Wesley E. Brown, United States District Judge for the District of Kansas, sitting by designation.

PER CURIAM.

This is an appeal from a judgment granting a motion to dismiss this case on grounds of abstention developed in Colorado River Water Conservation District v. United States, 424 U.S. 800, 96 S.Ct. 1236, 47 L.Ed.2d 483 (1976). The reasoning of the district court is set forth in United States v. Bluewater-Toltec Irrigation District, 580 F. Supp. 1434 (D.N.M. 1984), and in its memorandum opinion and order of April 12, 1984, docket entry number 1571 (unpublished). We have examined the briefs and the record and have concluded the dismissal was warranted. We therefore affirm the judgment of the district court for the reasons contained in its written opinions.