CMU’s board on Friday unanimously agreed to commit up to $500,000 toward the effort to purchase the water rights for the Shoshone hydroelectric power plant in Glenwood Canyon for $99 million, and Grand Valley Power’s board recently pledged $100,000.

The Colorado River District has an agreement to buy the rights from Xcel Energy. Xcel would be able to use the water associated with the rights as long as the plant continues operating, but the goal is for the river district to reach an instream flow agreement with the state to ensure that the rights and flows associated with them are permanent, regardless of what happens to the plant.