Grand Junction, Colorado — During their Board meetings in February, Clifton Water District and Grand Valley Water Users Association committed $250,000 and $100,000, respectively, towards the permanent acquisition of the Shoshone water rights by the Colorado River District from the Colorado Public Service Company, a subsidiary of Xcel Energy. Orchard Mesa Irrigation District and Grand Valley Irrigation Company have also informally agreed to financially support the effort and are waiting on scheduled Board meetings to finalize their commitment.

“Clifton Water District is proud to contribute a quarter of a million dollars towards the Shoshone permanency effort because the health of the Colorado River ensures the health of our families and neighbors for generations to come,” said Ty Jones, Manager for Clifton Water District. “In Clifton, our future is tied to the flows of the Colorado River because the drinking water we depend on comes directly from that river. Sustained, year-round river levels, supported by the Shoshone call, allow for higher water quality and reduce consumer costs by diluting difficult-to-remove pollutants and sediment.”

Clifton Water District provides drinking water for nearly 13,000 domestic taps. The District relies on two different points of diversion from the Colorado River itself. The winter diversion is within the endangered and threatened fish habitat known as the 15-Mile Reach, while the summer diversion coordinates with the Grand Valley Irrigation Canal system which diverts in Palisade.

Clifton is one of the six West Slope communities which draw and treat water directly from the Colorado River for their primary drinking water source. The others are DeBeque, Silt, Parachute, Battlement Mesa and Rifle.

Grand Valley Water Users Association (GVWUA), who recently formalized their $100,000 financial commitment, delivers irrigation water to over 22,000 acres within their boundaries and over 42,000 acres in the Grand Valley. The Association manages the historic Roller Dam on the Colorado River in DeBeque Canyon, the 55-mile-long Government Highline Canal, and 150 miles of laterals.