C.R.S. § 33-12.5-102

The general assembly recognizes that the Arkansas river is a major recreation attraction and a vital resource for residents and nonresidents alike and hereby declares that it is the policy of this state to safeguard the recreational quality of the Arkansas river and the adjacent lands by granting the commission the authority to regulate recreational use on the Arkansas river. It is not the intent of the general assembly to in any way interfere with private landowner rights along the river or with the determination, administration, or change of water rights in the drainage of the Arkansas river and its tributaries and the legal utilization thereof.