Colorado told the U.S. Supreme Court in a brief Wednesday that Nebraska’s suit seeking confirmation of its water rights in Colorado is asking justices to “weigh in on a hunch,” and that Nebraska has far more permitting and legal work to do before finalizing the fate of precious South Platte River water.

Colorado’s response brief to Nebraska’s U.S. Supreme Court filing in July chides Nebraska for being late to “confront the hard questions” of how to legally and financially support construction of the Perkins County Canal Project, which would use a compact clause to bring South Platte water from near Julesburg into Nebraska.

Also, the Colorado brief says, “Nebraska claims that Colorado authorizes water uses that harm Nebraska during the irrigation season. But Nebraska alleges few, if any,

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