By Mike Ritschard, Kremmling

I’m writing to express my strong support for the Colorado River District’s purchase of the historic Shoshone water rights from Xcel Energy.

Permanent protection of the Shoshone water rights is a rare opportunity to provide water security to communities across the Western Slope. In Grand County and throughout the Upper Colorado River Basin, the families who ranch and farm depend on the Colorado River to sustain our state and local economies, provide food security and protect open spaces.

We understand what it looks like to live within our means when it comes to water – we know that all we have is what the snowpack and the summer rains provide each year. Senior water rights like Shoshone keep that water flowing downstream, flowing west, especially as we see hotter, drier summers coming earlier most years and a growing population on the Front Range.