The Daily Sentinel featured Sherman & Howard water law attorney James Eklund in an article about the Colorado River District’s interest in purchasing the water rights for the Shoshone hydroelectric power plant in Glenwood Canyon. In the article, Eklund discusses the importance of the Shoshone water rights, especially since they are pivotal to Colorado River flows and water uses in Western Colorado. He also voices his concern about the consequences that could potentially occur due to changing the owner of these historic water rights after more than a century.

Below is an excerpt from the article.

James Eklund, a water attorney and former CWCB whose family also has a ranch in the Plateau Valley, said the importance of the Shoshone water right is hard to overstate.

“It’s mission-critical not just for the Grand Valley but for the Western Slope and the state as a whole that right continue to be the calling right on the system,” he said.

But he also voiced some nervousness about possible unintended consequences from changing the owner of such important water rights after more than a century during which it has worked for the rights to be owned by the power plant, and he also wondered how the cost of the deal could personally affect the bills he pays.

Read the full article HERE.