Historic Shoshone Water Rights Agreement Advances Colorado Water Security

Xcel Energy and the Colorado River District signed a Purchase & Sale Agreement (PSA) on Dec. 19, 2023, to transfer ownership of the historic Shoshone water rights to the River District for $98.5 million. The agreement marked a first step towards permanent protection of the most senior, non-consumptive water right on the Colorado River, a project with a 20-year history of support from 20 western Colorado governments and water entities. The River District board members also approved spending $20 million from District’s Community Funding Partnership grant program toward the deal.

 The Shoshone Water Right Preservation Coalition – a diverse and growing partnership of stakeholders – has begun a multi-year effort to secure funding for the purchase and to add an ‘instream flow’ benefit to the historic Shoshone water rights in water court in partnership with the state. With its command of 1,408 cfs (or up to 1.02-million-acre feet of water per year) on the Colorado mainstem and benefits both upstream and downstream of Glenwood Canyon, Coalition members see Shoshone permanency as a generational investment in water security for Colorado's environment, economy, and communities across the state.

 Securing Shoshone water rights is one of the 55 goals of the Integrated Water Management Plans for the Middle Colorado Watershed Council. The Colorado River District and other Western Slope stakeholders’ goal in securing these rights is to protect these flows against the eventuality of the Shoshone Hydro Generating Station in Glenwood Canyon ever shutting down permanently.

 Central to the statewide benefit of the Shoshone water right is the vital role it plays in Endangered Species Act (ESA) compliance. Over 1,250 Colorado water projects on both sides of the divide rely on the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program to maintain ESA compliance and continued operation in the critical habitat known as the 15-Mile Reach near Grand Junction. The consistent flow regime also helps sustain local agricultural producers and Colorado’s $11.9 billion agricultural economy through increased flows and higher water quality.

 It also provides water quality benefits for West Slope communities that rely on the Colorado River for drinking water, and drives the state’s $14.6 billion water-based recreation economy along the Colorado River.

 On Jan. 29, 2024, the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) voted unanimously to appropriate $20 million in the 2024 Projects Bill for Shoshone Water Right Preservation. The funding commitment represents another key milestone in the campaign to permanently protect the historic, non-consumptive Shoshone water rights on the upper Colorado River for future generations, an outcome long-sought by 20 Western Slope water entities and local governments.

 Other entities that have made a commitment to this campaign as of February 2024 include Ute Water Conservancy District ($2 million),  Clifton Water District ($250,000), and Grand Valley Water Users Association ($100,000).