Northern Water, Larimer County to discuss NISP agreement

BERTHOUD — Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District representatives have scheduled an open house to gather input on three key elements of the Northern Integrated Supply Project: recreation at Glade Reservoir, siting of water conveyance pipelines in Larimer County and the relocation of U.S. 287 north of Ted’s Place. 

The open house will be 6-9 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 9, at the Drake Centre, 802 W. Drake Road, Fort Collins. 

All three topics will be included in a proposed intergovernmental agreement between Northern Water and Larimer County as permitting continues for NISP, which will bring water supplies to 15 municipalities and water districts throughout Northeastern Colorado. 

NISP includes Glade Reservoir, which could store 170,000 acre-feet of water in a dry valley northwest of Fort Collins. Preliminary plans for recreation call for a mix of boating, camping, hiking, biking and other activities. By comparison, nearby Horsetooth Reservoir west of Fort Collins has a capacity of a little less than 157,000 acre-feet of water. 

Water from Glade Reservoir will be conveyed to its users through a pipeline from the reservoir and by way of the Poudre River through downtown Fort Collins to a pick-up point further downstream. 

When Glade Reservoir is completed, it will inundate five miles of U.S. 287 north of Ted’s Place. A new section of highway will be built before construction of the reservoir to allow traffic to move unhindered between Fort Collins and Livermore. 

Comments about all three of these aspects of the project in Larimer County will be gathered at the open house, as well as from the public engagement website nisptalk.com. They will be submitted to Larimer County as part of the process to craft an intergovernmental agreement that incorporates elements that otherwise would be addressed in a county process commonly referred to as a “1041 permit.” 

Following the open house, a work session between members of the Northern Water board of directors and the Larimer County Board of Commissioners has been set for Nov. 13. Public hearings on any proposed intergovernmental agreement would begin in January. 

Northern Water is coordinating the effort to build NISP on behalf of 15 municipalities and water districts that serve more than 250,000 residents in Northeastern Colorado. 

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