4203

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 4203
• Author: Colorado River Water Conservation District.
• Title: Summary of Issues and Preliminary Hydrologic Assessment of the Agreement to Subordinate the Shoshone Hydropower Water Right.
• USFW Year: 1986.
• USFW - Doc Type: \
• Copyright Material: NO

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INTRODUCTION
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SUMMARY OF ISSUES
AND
PRELIMINARY HYDROLOGIC ASSESSMENT
Of THE
AGREEMENT TO SUBORDINATE THE SHOSHONE HYDROPOWER WATER RIGHT
The Shoshone Hydroelectric Plant is located along the Colorado River in
Glenwood Canyon. Owned and operated by Public Service Company of Colorado, it
has the right to divert up to 1,250 cubic feet of water per second (cfs) out of
the Colorado River year round for the purpose of generating electricity. The
water right has been in force since December 9, 1907, and the project has an
appropriation date of January 7, 1902. Because of its early date, central
position in the Colorado River drainage, and non-consumptive, year round nature
of the decreed type of use, the Shoshone Hydroelectric Plant has been important
in assessing water supplies in the basin for more than 80 years. If this
important water right is subordinated to other water users in exchange for power
interference cash payments, the rules by which water supply decisions have been
made over those 80 years will change. The purpose of this paper is to identify
some of the potential basin-wide impacts of a planned subordination by Public
Service Company to the water diversion projects operated by the Denver Board of
Water Commissioners.
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