Donate Subscribe to News
Blog

Colorado Water Plan Prepares To Drain Front Range Rivers?

For Immediate Release
April 23, 2018
Contact: Gary Wockner, Save The Colorado/Save The Poudre, 970-218-8310

Colorado Water Plan Prepares To Drain Northern Front Range Rivers?

CWCB Proposed “Regional Water Development Projects”

Front Range, CO: Today, Save The Colorado is sounding a statewide alarm about an apparent effort by the Colorado Water Conservation Board to launch a large-scale “Water Development” strategy to identify to new dam and diversion projects on Front Range rivers. The CWCB sent out an email at 1:59pm on Friday April 20, 2018, announcing “workshops” aimed at “Water providers and stakeholders in the South Platte River basin interested in a regional water management and storage project.” The email, with flyer (posted here), goes on to say that the “South Platte/Metro Basin Implementation Plan” says the “projects will need to be developed.” The workshops, both in May, are scheduled at the state’s two biggest water agencies — Denver Water and the Northern Water.

The “implementation plans” were developed during the “Colorado Water Plan” process, with the South Platte/Metro Basin Roundtable being the center of extreme controversy around the state. The Roundtable and its Implementation Plan identified a spider’s web of dam and pipeline projects, diverting water from rivers all over the state and sending that water to the Denver/Northern Colorado metroplex. This new Front Range “Water Development” strategy seems to be the first salvo in the next wave of dam proposals.

“The Colorado Water Plan was extremely controversial and too heavily focused on draining and destroying rivers, not protecting and restoring them,” said Gary Wockner of Save The Colorado and Save The Poudre. “We will continue our vigilance as this process moves forward and we will fight to protect the rivers across the state.”

**end**

Gary Wockner

Related Posts

Save The Poudre Update: We Are Taking Action — the Poudre River Needs Your Support!

Hello Poudre River Lovers!  THIS IS IT! Today is Giving Tuesday -- Thank you for your support! Please donate on our website at: http://www.savethepoudre.org/take-action/donate/ In the next few months, we will make our final decisions about challenging the permits for NISP at the local, state, and federal level, and YOUR financial support will make those decisions for us. For 18 years, we’ve been fighting to stop the proposed Northern Integrated Supply Project (NISP) because it would further dam/drain/divert the Poudre River through Fort Collins. Here’s an update on where the battle is right now. First, 2 of 3 Larimer County Commissioners voted to approve NISP, a decision that was finalized in early November 2020. We’ve pulled out all the stops in our effort to reverse this decision. So far, we’ve: Filed a lawsuit arguing that two of the County Commissioners are biased due to their decades of support for NISP. Will be filing another lawsuit against Larimer County specifically for the NISP decision. Worked in close coalition with two local neighborhood groups – “Save Rural NoCo” and “No Pipe Dream” – to fight the project and influence the County’s decision. Continued to make news arguing that NISP should use the river as a conveyance. The Denver Post (above left) highlighted our work to fight both NISP and the Thornton Pipeline on Sunday, Nov. 15th. And, the Fort Collins Coloradoan (right) accurately covered the Larimer County hearing process extensively. The County permit process completely ignored many issues, and completely ignored 95% of all public comment opposing NISP. The outrageous decision to support NISP by two term-limited Commissioners can and must be overturned. We have a strong case in the courts to overturn this decision and we are aggressively pursuing it. We are fighting every step of the way in this County permit debacle. It ain’t over yet! Second, our legal action against the State of Colorado is moving forward with a final decision occurring while this letter goes to press. The state gave a “401 water quality permit” to NISP. Save The Poudre's appeal alleges thirteen violations of State regulations when the State gave its permit. The Top Five violations are: No water rights – the plan to fill Glade Reservoir requires buying hundreds of farms in Weld County, whereas only two farms have been bought. Fails to take into account climate change and its reduction in streamflow in the Poudre River. Mitigation won’t occur until full build-out, maybe 30 years in the future. Mitigation doesn’t allow for peak flows to clean out the river and restore the riparian forest through Fort Collins. Fails to quantify any requirements to meet state water quality standards and relies on nebulous "adaptive management". The State permit was given by the staff at the Water Quality Control Division. The appeal is to the "Water Quality Control Commission" appointed by Governor Polis. If the “Commission” votes against the Poudre River, we can file a lawsuit in Larimer County District Court. Finally, Save The Poudre is awaiting the…

Save The Poudre Will Sue To Overturn Larimer County’s Biased NISP Decision

November 4, 2020 For Immediate Release Contact Gary Wockner, 970-218-8310, Save The Poudre Save The Poudre Will Sue To Overturn Larimer County's Biased NISP Decision Fort Collins: Today the Larimer County Commission finalized its "Findings and Resolution (posted here)" ("F & R") for the 1041 permit for the Northern Integrated Supply Project (NISP). On a 2 - 1 vote, the F & R was ratified by biased, lame-duck Commissioners Tom Donnelly and Steve Johnson, with Commissioner John Kefalas opposed. Also today, Save The Poudre directed its legal team to accelerate the legal battle against Larimer County to overturn this illegal and biased decision by these two commissioners. First, Save The Poudre will continue pursuing its lawsuit against Commissioners Donnelly and Johnson, arguing their bias in the decision process. In violation of the Larimer County Land Use Code and Colorado Constitution, both Donnelly and Johnson voted on the NISP permit -- a quasi-judicial decision process -- when they had already and repeatedly stated their biased support for NISP. Second, Save The Poudre will soon be filing a new lawsuit against the County, arguing that the County's 1041 permit for NISP violates the Larimer County Land Use Code on multiple grounds. Third, in the coming weeks and months, Save The Poudre will seek all available remedies to overturn the County's illegal and biased NISP decision. "NISP would drain and destroy the Cache la Poudre River through Fort Collins, and is thus the most disastrous and environmentally destructive project in Larimer County history. Any decision about NISP should reflect the future of the County, not the past," said Gary Wockner, director of Save The Poudre. "We will do everything possible to overturn this illegal, biased decision by these two lame-duck commissioners." ***end***

PRESS RELEASE: Save The Poudre Will Sue To Overturn Illegal Larimer County Permit For NISP

September 2, 2020 For Immediate Release Contact: Gary Wockner, Save The Poudre, 970-218-8310 Save The Poudre Will Sue To Overturn Illegal Larimer County Permit For NISP Fort Collins, CO: Tonight after 17 years, the Larimer County Commissioners voted 2 - 1 to "approve" the 1041 application for the Northern Integrated Supply Project (NISP). The Commissioners' vote defies over 95% of public comments opposing NISP and requesting a denial, and defies all the science and scientists engaged around the Poudre River weighing in against NISP. Further and most importantly, the vote occurred under clear and compelling evidence that the application violated the Larimer County Land Use Code. Further yet, the two Commissioners who voted for the project -- Johnson and Donnelly -- had already been asked to recuse themselves, and were sued when they refused to recuse themselves, because they had publicly and loudly supported the project for at least a decade while sitting as elected Larimer County Commissioners. (The court ruled that the lawsuit should take place after tonight's vote.) Both the Larimer County Land Use Code and the Colorado Constitution require that County Commissioners sit in a "quasi-judicial" position (as judges) during 1041 permit process and are thus not allowed to publicly take a position about a project. Commissioner John Kefalas voted to deny the permit. "The Poudre River will be irrevocably damaged if NISP is built," said Gary Wockner. "In addition, the Commissioners were given clear evidence that the NISP application violates the land use code, including several of the 12 criteria, and as such this application absolutely should have been denied." "Further," continued Wockner, "it's also clear that Commissioners Johnson and Donnelly should not have voted at all, because doing so violated the Colorado Constitution as well as the Larimer County Land Use Code, given their prejudice and bias in favor of the project over the past decade." "Finally, because it violates the land use code, this decision to throw the public, the science, and the Poudre River under the bus is subject to 'judicial review'," said Wockner, "and as such, we fully expect to challenge this illegal decision in state district court as soon as possible." This press release is posted here. ***end*** -- Gary Wockner, PhD, Director Save The Poudre: Poudre Waterkeeper Author: "River Warrior: Fighting to Protect the World's Rivers" (2016) PO Box 20, Fort Collins, CO 80522 http://savethepoudre.org http://www.facebook.com/SaveThePoudre https://twitter.com/savethepoudre 970-218-8310    

Back To Top