Tag: Fish and Wildlife

By Shannon Mullane | The Colorado Sun Allowing the state to use Shoshone’s water rights to help the environment could save fish and improve the aquatic environment, according to state studies. Colorado water officials will gather in Durango this week to decide whether a pair of powerful Colorado River rights can be used to benefit the environment.  The Colorado River District, supported by a broad Western Slope coalition, has entered into a $99 million agreement with Xcel Energy to buy two key water rights tied to Shoshone Power Plant, located on the Colorado River near Glenwood Springs. Part of the deal is to add a newly approved use to the existing water rights: keeping water in the river to help the aquatic ecosystem.  That environmental use, called an in-stream flow ri...