Shoshone Water Rights can kicked down the road. A vacancy in RTD District N, maybe it's your time to fill it?
Shoshone Water Rights can kicked down the road.
I have been watching the debate over what to do with the Colorado River water rights held by the Shoshone Power plant near Glenwood Springs for a while now. It’s quite a tug of war, especially given that the water rights date back to 1902.
This seniority makes the water quite valuable to whoever holds it because you’re up near the first of the line if you have them and stream flows are down. The fact that the Front Range water providers are nervous about who gets the rights and how they’re to be exercised is a function of them being junior to this water right. That is, depending on how they’re used, the Front Range could end up being told they don’t get any Colorado River water in some years. Western Slope producers, for their part, are in support of the sale because the plan (at least as I understand it) is to use the water rights to beef up stream flows for wildlife and the extra water ends up staying in the river for downstream users to later access.
The Aspen Journalism article linked below has plenty of details on the discussions and perspectives if you want more. The upshot is that any finality is going to have to wait. The Water Board has pushed the final ruling til November.
Nothing like postponing things that are tough, he said without judgment (because it’s a practice I indulge in often myself). I’ll update as I hear more.
A vacancy in RTD District N
Kathleen Chandler, who sits on RTD’s board, told me about a vacancy on the board for RTD’s District N. I wanted to give you a head’s up in case you were interested or know someone that is.
We have to start getting liberty-minded and conservative voices on boards in this state and the vacancy provides the chance to.
To represent District N, you must be in the district. Screenshot 1 is a breakdown of the counties in the district and the image heading this post is a map with the district highlighted.
By what I was told and read, the vacancy will be filled by the largest county in the district. That’s JeffCo. So, if you are interested or know someone who is, the next step would be to approach the JeffCo Commissioners and put your hat in the ring for consideration.
If you choose to do so, or a friend does, give me a head’s up. I would put that up so that others in the district could have the chance to write in with their support.
Small steps, but steps in the right direction, are how we are going to help return this state to sanity and fiscal responsibility. Get involved one way or another!