A state water court has granted a pair of applications that will ultimately allocate more water to the Ouray Ice Park, a key step toward providing a guaranteed water supply for a vital component of Ouray’s winter economy and allowing the ice park to expand.

Water court referee S. Gregg Stanway approved a conditional water right for the city of Ouray that will provide 1.1111 cubic feet per second of water from Canyon Creek to the ice park, as well as Ouray Silver Mines’ request to effectively ...