Cache La Poudre River - Glade Reservoir Controversy

Glade Reservoir Controversy

A project has been proposed by the Northern Colorado Water Conservation District. It includes several water supply projects, including the Glade Reservoir, which would supply 40,000 acre feet (49,000,000 m3) of water annually to 15 communities in Northern Colorado. Glade Reservoir would be filled by a diversion from the Cache la Poudre River and would store that water for use by these communities. The project has been studied by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers since 2005, resulting in a draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) released in September, 2008. Due to the number and complexity of significant comments received during the public comment period, the COE determined that additional analysis would be required before a decision on whether to approve or deny the permit can be made. They plan to release a supplemental DEIS in late 2009 or 2010, likely delaying construction of the project—if approved—by two years until 2013.

To supply 40,000 acre feet (49,000,000 m3) of water from Glade Reservoir, significant quantities of water would be diverted from the Poudre River above the city of Fort Collins, Colorado. Most diversions would occur during the peak snow melt runoff in May and June. Essentially all the water that is diverted (and pumped) into the off-stream Glade Reservoir would be released back to the river at a later time. But these releases into the Poudre from Glade would be entirely offset by water that would normally be released from Horsetooth Reservoir into the Poudre, also upstream of Fort Collins. This Horsetooth water, originating from Colorado's west slope, would be piped to most of the NISP subscriber communities outside the Poudre basin instead of going to agricultural users downstream on the Poudre River and South Platte River. According to the first DEIS, the net diversion from the Poudre would represent anywhere from 26 to 71% of the flow as measured in downtown Fort Collins. These flow reductions are in addition to existing diversions that have removed approximately 50-60% of the river's water since European settlement began in the valley.