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Colorado River District outlines $99 million Shoshone water-rights purchase and broader instream-flow concerns
Summary
District officials discussed a contract to buy Shoshone water rights for $99 million, the CWCB acquisition process, funding commitments and broader county concerns about how new instream-flow appropriations may lock up water and restrict development.
Colorado River District leaders told Rio Blanco County commissioners on May 20 that the district has contracted to buy Shoshone water rights for $99,000,000 and has formally begun the statutory process for the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) to acquire the right to use the water for instream flow purposes.
“We are buying this water right from a subsidiary of Xcel Energy, and we have a contract to buy it for $99,000,000,” Andy Mueller, the district’s general manager, said. He described a formal statutory process that opened “last week,” triggering a 120‑day window that will put the matter on the CWCB’s September meeting agenda.
Mueller and Peter Fleming, the district’s general counsel, said the purchase and the CWCB process have prompted opposition from some Front Range entities that argue the change…
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