If any type of well is no longer being used, it needs to be properly plugged and a Well Abandonment Report (GWS-09) must be filed.  The Colorado Board of Examiners of Water Well Construction and Pump Installation Contractors publishes a quarterly list of licensed well contractors throughout the state who can assist well owners in properly plugging a well.

An official abandonment list is published every 10 years, which includes abandoned water rights in whole or in part, as an initial list in July, and a revised list in December.  In July 2010, an initial abandonment list for this decade was compiled and published.