By Sophie Stuber

The San Miguel Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) voted on Wednesday, July 24, to sign onto the Western District (Colorado Counties) letter to preserve Shoshone water rights.

The letter, addressed to Colorado Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, is in support of the Colorado River Water Conservation District’s aim to acquire and permanently protect the Shoshone water rights.

The Shoshone Power Plant, off Interstate 70 near Glenwood Springs, possesses the oldest senior water rights directly on the Colorado River in Colorado. The plant generates 15 megawatts of electricity. This flow from Shoshone is critical in helping avoid low water levels further down the river.

“The population in the east side of the state has grown dramatically, and there are often trans-mountain diversions when water can be sold and taken to the Eastern Slope. And so this is a proactive movement,” Mike Bordogna, San Miguel County Manager, said during Wednesday’s BOCC meeting.