Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Water Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
River District updates Grand County on Shoshone purchase, says $56M secured so far
Summary
Colorado River District briefed commissioners on budgets and the River District's fundraising for the proposed Shoshone water‑rights purchase. Mike Richard said about $56 million has been secured and a remaining roughly $40 million is being pursued via grant applications and partner commitments; historic‑use analysis and legal review are under way.
Mike Richard, Grand County’s representative to the Colorado River District, updated the Board on district finances and the Shoshone water‑rights effort. Richard reported the district is budgeting across multiple funds and has made substantial commitments to a long‑term Shoshone purchase effort.
"So 4,000,000 of that will be basically dedicated from Grand County towards the purchase of the Shoshone water rights and everything like that," Richard told commissioners while outlining the community funding partnership contributions. He said the district has secured roughly $56 million in commitments to date and is pursuing the remaining balance of about $40 million through a Bureau of Reclamation grant application and other partners.
Richard described technical work underway, including historic‑use analysis to document plant operations and avoid injury claims against junior water‑rights holders, and a seismic hazard analysis tied to dam safety work at Wolford Mountain. Commissioners thanked Richard and agreed to reappoint him as the county representative to the River District.
