Biden administration awards $40 million toward Colorado River District’s attempt to purchase Shoshone water rights
In the final days of President Joe Biden’s presidency, the Colorado River District locked down the $40 million award from the Bureau of Reclamation it needed to purchase the Shoshone Water Rights from Xcel Energy. The river district struck a deal with Xcel in December 2023, agreeing to a $98.5 million price tag to acquire the water rights tied to the hydroelectric power plant in Glenwood Canyon. Acquiring the rights — which are among the Colorado River’s oldest and largest non-consumptive rights — will ensure that the river’s historic in-stream flows continue in perpetuity, regardless of the plant’s future. After raising $56.9 million from the state legislature, its board and the various Western Slope municipalities and utilities it serves, in November the Colorado River District submitted for $40 million in federal dollars from the Inflation Reduction Act.
Related Colorado River articles:
- Western Water Rewind: Colorado River users craft creative paths to water security
- Colorado Politics: Biden administration awards $40 million to Colorado River Water Conservation District for Shoshone water rights
- E&E News by POLITICO: Reclamation makes final pitch under Biden on Colorado River
- 12News (Phoenix, Ariz): Arizona’s farmers are feeling the squeeze of water shortages on the Colorado River
- Gilbert Independent (Sun City, Ariz.): Gilbert partners with Bureau of Reclamation to address Colorado River drought
