FORT COLLINS, Colo. — While the Poudre River has been flowing through Fort Collins for thousands of years, the city surrounding it continues to change.
Fort Collins’ population is expected to grow to 250,000 people by 2040, according to the city’s 2024 strategic plan. As of 2020, the estimated population was 174,871.
And with the number of people living in Northern Colorado growing, so does the demand for water.
Denver7 | Your Voice headed north to hear more about this need and what this project could look like moving forward.
- What is Denver7 | Your Voice? Read about the project here
“It might be raining right now, but we're going to have periods where we won't have rain,” Jeff Stahla, public information officer for Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District, told Denver7 on a rainy Fort Collins day in September.
The district launched the Northern Integrated Supply Project (NISP) decades ago. The project includes building the 1,600-acre Glade Reservoir just north of Fort Collins. The Poudre River will be the source of water for the reservoir.
“We know that more people will be moving here in the next five years, 10 years, and even in the next 20 and 40 years," Stahla said. "And so we need to have water available in storage so that when we have a dry year — and we know they're coming because we've had them before — that we'll be able to have that water into the future."
NISP was originally expected to be the source of water for 15 suppliers to communities across the region, but some might be searching for other options.
Both the Fort Collins-Loveland Water District and the Town of Eaton announced they are reevaluating whether they will continue being customers of NISP, each debating whether moving forward is “cost-effective.”
Fort Collins-Loveland is the project’s largest customer, accounting for 8,100 acre-feet of water. Eaton accounts for 500 acre-feet.
“We are seeing that some communities didn't grow as much as they thought they would. Others are more so,” Stahla said when asked why some customers may pull out of the project.
However, others have a different opinion for the sudden shift away from the project.
"The project has gotten so expensive that some of the participants are thinking about dropping out,” said Gary Wockner, director of Save the Poudre.
The nonprofit took Northern Water to federal court over environmental concerns resulting from the project. The lawsuit was dropped earlier this year, after Northern Water agreed to spend $100 million in donations for a conservation fund.
Timeline:
- 2001: Northern Water completes Glade Reservoir feasibility study
- 2004: Formal Environmental Impact Statement permitting process begins with the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers serving as the lead federal agency
- 2017: Gov. John Hickenlooper announces the adoption of NISP's State Fish and Wildlife Mitigation and Enhancement Plan as the official state position
- 2024: Save the Poudre files a lawsuit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to stop the Northern Integrated Supply Project
- 2025: Lawsuit is resolved
The entire cost for NISP is estimated at about $2.7 billion, which is more than originally projected.
“That's over the amount that we first anticipated 25 years ago. I would say that just about everything is more than that anticipated amount 25 years ago,” Stahla said when we asked about the rising cost.
In a letter sent to Northern Water from Eaton’s Mayor Scott Moser, the mayor wrote: “While we recognize the District's efforts to advance water supply solutions, the current model does not provide the balance of affordability and delivery certainty needed for Eaton to responsibly commit ratepayer resources.”
Meanwhile, a memo posted to the Fort Collins-Loveland Water District’s website reads in-part: “While no final determination has been made, the District is carefully assessing whether the evolving scope and increased cost of the project remain in alignment with our long-term needs and our commitment to delivering sustainable, high-quality and cost-effective water.”
Regardless of these new developments, Stahla said Northern Water is confident that NISP will move forward according to plan.
“If one of our participants chooses to go another direction, we wish them well. But we also recognize that the overall need is going to persist," he said.
Construction of Glade Reservoir is expected to begin in 2027.
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