Northern Colorado water users and Colorado-Big Thompson water share holders could be affected by a planned $99 million water sale related to the Shoshone Power Plant in Glenwood Canyon, according to a Northern Water spokesman.

A subsidiary company of Xcel Energy is expected to sell off the Shoshone Power Plant water in a negotiated sale for $99 million. The four big water providers on the Front Range — Northern Water, Aurora Water, Denver Water and Colorado Springs Utilities — have all protested the amounts of water being discussed in that sale and whether historical use of the water in question is the same amount as the water rights they have. They’re expected to talk again at a Colorado Water Conservation Board and Commission meeting set for Sept. 16-18.

Specifically, the Green Mountain Reservoir in Summit County — and Colorado-Big Thompson water shares on the Front Range — could be affected by the discussion, said Jeff Stahla, a spokesman for Northern Water, a water operator that administers water to users.

Put another way, the way water is used on the Western Slope in the future also could affect how much is available on the Front Range, Stahla said.

At issue is whether the state Colorado Water Conservation Board will decide that the sale encompasses the actual amount of the water shares or the historical use of the shares, which could involve a difference in the amount of water that goes into Green Mountain Reservoir, Stahla said, without giving a specific amount of the water that could be affected by the discussion.

Instead, Stahla gave an example related to Green Mountain Reservoir, which is about the same size as Horsetooth Reservoir in Fort Collins. He said Green Mountain Reservoir might not be able to fill completely in some years, should future decisions be made in favor of Western Slope water users, and that ultimately could affect people and entities with Colorado-Big Thompson water shares, he said.

“We disagree on the numbers but agree on the overall goal of the project,” Stahla said. “It’s a substantial amount of water that has the potential to affect operations of all four water providers.”

Northern Water officials believe the intention of the effort behind the planned sale is good, Stahla said.

“It’s a big water right, and it has an effect on how water is administered in the entire Colorado River Basin,” Stahla said.

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