Rachel Bolt
Associate
1401 Lawrence St., Suite 1800
Denver, CO 80202
303-830-2500 Main
Licensed in Arizona, Colorado
Overview
Rachel’s practice focuses on water law, water quality, and environmental matters.
Rachel assists public and private entities in navigating water-related challenges, including water supply planning, water court litigation, water rights due diligence reviews, contract negotiations, ground water permitting, water quality discharge permitting and appeals, permit compliance, and proceedings before regulatory commissions. She has represented individuals, municipalities, farmers, ranchers, and industrial clients in Colorado Water Court proceedings to adjudicate and protect clients’ water rights, including adjudicating conditional and absolute water rights, augmentation plans, exchanges, and acting as an opposer. She also counsels clients with water rights purchase and sale transactions, including water rights title reviews, negotiating contract terms, and drafting deeds and assignments to convey water rights.
Rachel also advises clients on all aspects of Clean Water Act and Colorado Water Quality Control act compliance, including reviewing and commenting on draft discharge permits, permit appeals, state rulemaking hearings, and compliance matters.
Experience & Results
Water Rights
- Adjudicated dozens of new rights, augmentation plans, and exchanges for homeowners and developers in the foothills west of Denver.
- Assists clients in obtaining and protecting well permits and groundwater rights.
- Assists buyers and sellers in multimillion-dollar real estate transactions, including water rights due diligence reviews, water rights title examination, and negotiating and drafting water rights conveyance documents.
- Works closely with water rights engineers and other experts to achieve client objectives.
- Successfully contested proposed Colorado Groundwater Commission rules at an administrative hearing.
- Assisted municipal client in protecting conditional water rights and developing storage to protect against drought conditions.
Environmental
- Represented public and private clients in rulemaking and administrative hearings before state water quality regulators.
- Regularly reviews and prepares comments on draft discharge permits.
- Represented clients in judicial appeals of discharge permits.
- Successfully represented mining industry interest before the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals in the first appellate opinion reported under the U.S. Supreme Court’s Maui
- Counsels municipalities on water discharge permitting, negotiations with state regulators, and compliance matters.
Practice Areas
- Water Rights
- Environmental Law
Honors & Insights
- University of Colorado Law, Merit Scholarship
- University of Colorado Law, Dean’s List 2009–2012
Education & Admissions
Education
- J.D., University of Colorado, 2017
- B.A., Environmental Studies & Political Science, University of Colorado Boulder, magna cum laude 2012
Bar Admissions
- Colorado, 2017
- Arizona, 2025
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit
Professional & Community Involvement
- Colorado Bar Association
- Member, Colorado Water Congress