Rep. Neguse, Colorado Delegation Announce Support for Colorado River District’s Application for Funding to Complete Shoshone Water Rights Purchase
Lafayette, CO — Today, House Assistant Minority Leader Joe Neguse joined Colorado Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, and members of the state’s congressional delegation in writing to the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) in support of the Colorado River Water Conservation District’s (CRWCD) application for federal funding to purchase two of the oldest water rights on the Colorado River mainstem in Colorado, known as the Shoshone Permanency Project. The lawmakers offered their support as part of an ongoing BOR funding opportunity to provide environmental benefits in response to drought, which remains open for additional projects in Colorado and the rest of the Upper Colorado River Basin.
“The Colorado River District’s mission is to promote the protection, conservation, use, and development of the water resources of the Colorado River water basin for the welfare of the state of Colorado. Preserving the Colorado River’s historical flow regime as intended by the Shoshone Permanency Project will benefit the Colorado River ecosystem every year, and especially in dry years,” wrote the lawmakers.
The letter continues: “This strong show of funding reflects the local recognition of the Shoshone Water Rights’ importance to the health of western Colorado’s environment and local economies. We recognize the Shoshone Permanency Project’s complex nature and ongoing technical review, but believe the opportunity to protect historical Colorado River flows deserves your attention.”
The full text of the letter is available HERE.
“For the future of water, agriculture, outdoor recreation, and our way of life on the Western Slope and for the entire state of Colorado, the time to permanently secure the Shoshone water rights is now. At the state legislature this year, we made a $20 million investment in this effort, our local partners have offered over $36 million and I am so grateful for our federal partners, Congressman Joe Neguse and Senators Bennet and Hickenlooper, for doing everything they can to ensure the federal government becomes a key partner in this effort, ” said Dylan Roberts, State Senator, Chair of the Senate Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee.
The 1902 Senior and the 1929 Junior Shoshone Water Rights currently held by Xcel Energy are used to generate power at the Shoshone Power Plant and then return it to the river. Communities across Western Colorado have already committed over $55 million, and are applying to BOR for funding from the Upper Colorado River Basin Environmental Drought Mitigation program to help complete the purchase and create stability for communities, water and recreational users, and the environment. The Upper Colorado River Basin Environmental Drought Mitigation program funding opportunity is open for application through November 22, 2024, and the lawmakers welcome other applicants to contact their offices on the opportunity to provide support.
As part of the Shoshone Permanency Project, CRWCD will seek a change in these rights to include an alternate beneficial use and preserve the historical flow regime. The state process for changing these decreed water rights is distinct from any federal funding review or outcome, and will proceed separately. As acknowledged in the letter, data collection and analysis related to the Shoshone water rights’ historic use is ongoing and important to the state of Colorado’s formal review.
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