New Northern Colorado Reservoirs Move Ahead
A massive new reservoir project in Northern Colorado is set to move ahead following a settled lawsuit seeking to block construction. The project, Northern Integrated Supply Project, or NISP, is set for the go ahead sooner than expected. Northern Water will pay $100 million into a trust after Save the Poudre, a nonprofit, agreed to drop its lawsuit. That money will fund river improvement projects.
According to KUNC, The controversial water project, which will cost around $2 billion to build, has been tied up in planning and permitting for more than two decades. Advocates for the new reservoirs say it’s an important way to make sure fast-growing communities in Larimer and Weld counties have enough water for new homes and residents. Opponents worry it will take water out of a Cache la Poudre River that is already taxed by diversions for cities and farms.
Gary Wockner, director of Save the Poudre, said the settlement money will go into a new “Poudre River Improvement Fund.”
“We didn’t give up,” he said. “We didn’t quit. We got the best outcome for the river that we very strongly believe we could have gotten. We could have fought ‘til the bitter end in court, and there was a risk of losing and getting absolutely nothing.”
