Thornton sues Weld over denial of pipeline permit

GREELEY — The city of Thornton filed suit Wednesday against Weld County over its denial of a use-by-special-review permit for placement of a 42-inch water line through unincorporated portions of the county.

The board of commissioners denied Thornton’s request for a special permit on May 5, which prompted the lawsuit June 2. 

In a controversial move in the mid-1980s, Thornton bought several farms and their associated water rights, intending to dry up the farms and move the water attached to them by pipeline to the Denver suburb. The intended project sat idle for years, but in recent years the city has begun…