A Generational Win for the Colorado River: Shoshone Water Rights Secured for Instream Flow Protection

On Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025, the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) took one of the most consequential actions in the 50-year history of Colorado’s Instream Flow Program, approving the acquisition of the historic Shoshone Hydroelectric Plant water rights for permanent instream flow protection. This decision will echo for generations. It represents years of tough conversations, negotiation, and truly exceptional collaboration among people who often disagree but ultimately united around a shared truth: now is the moment to do something important for the ecological health of the Colorado River.  

Why the Shoshone Water Rights Matter 

The Shoshone water rights, dating to 1902 and 1929, have long anchored steady, year-round flows through Glenwood Canyon, the Grand Valley, and far downstream. Though used for hydropower, the right is entirely non-consumptive—every drop returns to the river. Those dependable flows sustain cottonwood and willow forests, wetlands, sandbars, and dynamic side channels that fuel the food web and support nesting, foraging, and migratory birds from Yellow Warblers to Black-crowned Night Herons, Bald Eagles, and countless waterfowl. 

Yet the century-old Shoshone Power Plant created real uncertainty about whether these return flows would endure. Without action, a foundational piece of the river’s hydrology—and the ecosystems and economies it supports—could have been lost. The CWCB’s decision secures these flows for the future. 

Speaker of the House Representative Julie McCluskie captured the significance of this moment: this opportunity arose only through exceptional collaboration—the Colorado River District, Xcel Energy and Public Service Company of Colorado, and CWCB staff working together to craft an agreement that pairs ecological benefits with long-term certainty for water users and communities on both sides of the Continental Divide. 

A Major Step for Colorado’s Instream Flow Program 

The acquisition of the Shoshone water rights will become one of the largest instream flow protections in Colorado history, safeguarding hundreds of miles of river habitat, including stretches that support endangered fish species. It expands the promise of Colorado’s Instream Flow Program, established in 1973 to keep water in rivers for the preservation of the environment. 

Speaker McCluskie also highlighted something extraordinary about this effort: it brought together “the most unlikely of coalitions”—ranchers and kayakers, conservation groups and chambers of commerce, anglers and municipal water providers. Groups that often stand on opposite sides of water debates found common purpose because they recognized the generational importance of this moment. 

The Colorado General Assembly recognized this as well. Following a unanimous recommendation from the CWCB, legislators approved a bipartisan—and nearly unanimous— $20 million appropriation to the Colorado River District to help secure the Shoshone rights. That vote reflected a shared understanding across regions, divides, and political parties that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Colorado. 

Audubon’s Role—and a Call to Action for Our Chapters 

Audubon Rockies joined with conservation partners as a party to the acquisition process—an indication of how critical this protection is for birds and river health. While being a party limited our ability to comment during the public process, ten independent Colorado Audubon chapters stepped into that role with strength and unity, urging the CWCB to approve the acquisition. 

Together, our community chapters represent more than 34,000 members who understand that protecting water means protecting the birds, communities, and economies woven into the fabric of Colorado’s rivers. The Shoshone instream flow acquisition shows what is possible when statewide voices come together with a shared purpose. 

A River, a Legacy, a Future 

The Shoshone instream flow acquisition honors more than a century of stewardship while strengthening our resilience in an era of accelerating water change. It protects ecological function, supports farms, ranches, recreation economies, and communities across the basin, and helps ensure that the Colorado River will continue to sustain birds, fish, wildlife, and people long into the future. 

Speaker McCluskie reminded the CWCB that today’s vote “carries generational weight”—and she urged the Board to seize this historic moment. They did. 

Colorado chose a future where the Colorado River keeps flowing—not just for us, but for all the life it sustains. Audubon Rockies applauds the Colorado River District, the CWCB, and the water community for its collaboration, leadership, foresight, and commitment to healthy rivers.  

This is a win for birds. A win for communities. A win for the Colorado River.