North Weld County Water District, Severance negotiate over plant investments

LUCERNE — North Weld County Water District board members on March 14 authorized 100 plant investments to be issued to the town of Severance in a potential new Water Service Agreement between the two governmental bodies.

The agreement, if finalized and approved by the district and the town board, would enable North Weld to increase the flow of water to the master meter that serves the town.

Severance and North Weld have been embroiled in a dispute over a tap moratorium imposed by North Weld last fall. The moratorium was imposed because of concerns surrounding a regulatory process for water pipelines in Fort Collins and Larimer County. North Weld intends to build a 5.3-mile pipeline from north Fort Collins east into Larimer County.

Additionally, rapid population growth and increased water usage by dairies has caused capacity issues for North Weld for treatment and delivery of water.

North Weld serves numerous communities and unincorporated areas in Larimer and Weld counties.

The district’s moratorium prompted Severance to issue a moratorium on building permits. The town partially lifted that moratorium in February for parts of the town directly served by North Weld.

North Weld partially lifted its moratorium in February, authorizing 120 tap permits districtwide through 2022, including 50 initially. Board members on March 14 authorized District Manager Eric Reckentine to issue another 25 tap permits now, while still maintaining the 120-tap limit for the year.

The board also voted 4-0 to issue the 100 plant investments to Severance, pending a final agreement. Board member Tad Stout, who also serves on the Severance Town Board, abstained.

“We were working on a Water Service Agreement with the town of Severance,” Reckentine told BizWest. “We’ve been working on the agreement for some time now. Part of the new policy was, the town of Severance needed to request a variance to our existing policy related to sales of water taps. The existing policy didn’t consider plant-investment sales to towns. They requested the sale of 100 plant investments, instead of 65, to the town, and the board approved that, so we’re working on a revised, interim Water Service Agreement that allows the town to purchase 100 plant investments.”

Reckentine said the district board likely will consider the new Water Service Agreement at its April meeting.

North Weld last week sought dismissal in Weld County District Court of a lawsuit over its tap moratorium, filed by Eagle View Farms LLC, which is developing a residential subdivision in unincorporated Weld County, west of Lucerne on Colorado Highway 392.

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