Agribusiness  July 22, 2015

Public hearings this week to focus on NISP report

Public hearings Wednesday night in Fort Collins and Thursday night in Greeley will focus on a controversial water-storage proposal, the Northern Integrated Supply Project.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released a draft Supplemental Impact Statement on the project on June 19, which will be the focus of this week’s hearings.

If approved, NISP would include construction of Glade and Galeton reservoirs, which combined could store more than 215,000 acre-feet of water, 40,000 of which would be allocated to municipal water supplies annually. Glade Reservoir, which would be larger than Horsetooth Reservoir west of Fort Collins, would be built north of the intersection of U.S. Highway 287 and Colorado Highway 14 northwest of Fort Collins and would hold up to 170,000 acre-feet of water diverted from the Cache la Poudre River. Galeton Reservoir would be built east of Ault and Eaton in Weld County and hold up to 45,000 acre-feet of South Platte River water.

SPONSORED CONTENT

Solar Operations and Maintenance for Commercial Properties

One key qualification to consider when selecting a solar partner to install your system is whether they have an Operations and Maintenance (O&M) or service department. Since solar is a long-term asset with an expected lifecycle of 30 plus years, ongoing O&M should be considered up front. A trusted O&M partner will maximize your system’s energy output and therefor the return on your investment.

About a dozen cities and towns and four water districts have signed up to buy water from the NISP project if it wins final approval from the Corps. Supporters see the project as crucial to keeping up with the growing demands of development, industry and agriculture along the Front Range.

Opponents have said the project would drain water from the Poudre as it flows through Fort Collins, limiting opportunities for recreation that include tubing, whitewater kayaking and fishing. Gary Wockner, executive director of Save the Poudre, also said that the project’s water-quality analysis, “a critical piece of the environmental review for compliance with the Clean Water Act, is incomplete and won’t be available to the public until the final EIS is released in 2016 or 2017.”

Wednesday’s hearing will be held at the Hilton Fort Collins, 425 W. Prospect Road. Thursday’s session will be at the Weld County Administration Building, 1150 O St. in Greeley. On both evenings, an open house will begin at 5 p.m., followed by the public hearing at 6 p.m. Both events are free and open to the public, and comments and questions will be welcomed from all sides of the issue.

Those wishing to comment who are unable to attend either of the hearings can write to John Urbanic, NISP EIS Project Manager, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District, Denver Regulatory Office, 9307 S. Wadsworth Blvd., Littleton, CO 80129, or email them to nisp.eis@usace.army.mil. Comments will be accepted through Sept. 3.

The supplementary impact statement is available online.

Public hearings Wednesday night in Fort Collins and Thursday night in Greeley will focus on a controversial water-storage proposal, the Northern Integrated Supply Project.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released a draft Supplemental Impact Statement on the project on June 19, which will be the focus of this week’s hearings.

If approved, NISP would include construction of Glade and Galeton reservoirs, which combined could store more than 215,000 acre-feet of water, 40,000 of which would be allocated to municipal water supplies annually. Glade Reservoir, which would be larger than Horsetooth Reservoir west of Fort Collins, would be built north of the…

Dallas Heltzell
With BizWest since 2012 and in Colorado since 1979, Dallas worked at the Longmont Times-Call, Colorado Springs Gazette, Denver Post and Public News Service. A Missouri native and Mizzou School of Journalism grad, Dallas started as a sports writer and outdoor columnist at the St. Charles (Mo.) Banner-News, then went to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch before fleeing the heat and humidity for the Rockies. He especially loves covering our mountain communities.
Sign up for BizWest Daily Alerts