Sort of. It’s so much more complicated, though. If you send water to an aquifer you didn’t mean to, you’re basically giving up your right to that water. If it happens a lot, you do lose it.

Where water comes from and goes in this part of the country is a big deal with many details.

Towns mismanaging it to this extent is more like a feature than a bug. Speculators get morons elected so the town loses their water and then the water is up for grabs. It’s happening all over southern Colorado right now.