Larimer sets public hearings on Thornton’s pipeline application

FORT COLLINS — Public hearings have been scheduled in Larimer County on the city of Thornton’s plan to construct a  pipeline through the county to gain access to water it owns in Northern Colorado.

The pipeline would also go through Weld and Adams counties.

Larimer County received a “1041” permit application from Thornton on Dec. 4 to construct the pipeline. The county had 60 days to determine if all the required materials were in order, and on Feb. 1, the county verified that the application was complete.

Public hearings have been scheduled with the Larimer County Planning Commission on April 10 and the next two days, and with the Board of County Commissioners on April 22, May 6, May 8 and May 20. All hearings will begin at 6 p.m. in the first-floor hearing room of the Larimer County Administrative Services Building, 200 W. Oak St. in Fort Collins.

Meetings will be held in a hybrid format, with opportunities for the public to participate in person and via Zoom. Members of the public are encouraged to register in advance if they would like to provide comments on the permit application.

This is Thornton’s second attempt to receive 1041 permit approval from Larimer County, a process in which one government can weigh in on the plans of another government when there are local impacts. The county denied an earlier attempt and a district judge upheld the county’s decision. 

Thornton purchased thousands of acres of farmland in Northern Colorado decades ago in anticipation of needing the water rights attached to that land. In order to get that water from north of Fort Collins to the Denver suburb, it developed a plan to pipe the water through Larimer, Weld and Adams counties in order to treat it for consumer use.More information, as well as the documents submitted so far, can be viewed here.

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