GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KREX) — December 2023, the Colorado River District signed a purchase and sale agreement with Xcel Energy to secure and protect the historic and critical Shoshone Water Rights.

The agreed price for the Shoshone Water Rights is $99 million. The river district has until December of 2027 to secure the $99 million but is more than halfway there. West slope partner organizations have contributed a little more than $10 million in local funding, the Colorado River District`s community funding partnership grant program committed $20 million, and the Colorado General Assembly recently appropriated another $20 million through the Colorado Water Conservation Board projects bill.

Then, last week, Glenwood Springs contributed $2 million towards the Shoshone Water Rights Preservation Campaign. Most recently, commitments from Eagle River Water and Sanitation District and the Upper Eagle Region Water Authority for a total of another $1 million, as well as a few more coming in here and there. Overall, there’s been 18 different west slope entities contributing with their total commitment being over $11 million.