Colorado Water Plan Prepares To Drain Front Range Rivers?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE APRIL 25, 2018      For Further Information Contact:      Karen Wagner,  970-227-7437 THORNTON'S 1041 APPLICATION SHOULD BE WITHDRAWNUNTIL PHASES 2 & 3 OF THE THORNTON NORTHERN PROJECT ARE MADE PUBLIC Based on Thornton’s own admissions in today’s (4/25/18) Rocky Mountain Collegian article, the grassroots No Pipe Dream organization, Save the Poudre and the citizens of Larimer County call on the Larimer County Planning Department to inform the City of Thornton that its 1041 application is premature and should be withdrawn, until all present and future impacts of the city’s water transfers on land uses in Larimer County can be satisfactorily demonstrated. In the Collegian article, Thornton officials admit that multiple pipelines could be needed in Larimer County in the future; Thornton’s current 1041 application is limited to a single pipeline.  Additionally the city stated that it was currently uncertain as to when the Denver suburb will need to deliver more water from the Cache la Poudre River in Larimer County.  Both statements are at odds with Thornton’s most recent contentions that a single 48” pipeline will be sufficient to meet the city’s needs until 2065 and that the 3-phase project doesn’t include additional raw water or return flow pipelines.No Pipe Dream, Save the Poudre and the citizens of Larimer County publicly call for the City of Thornton to withdraw its 1041 pipeline application for Phase 1 of the Thornton Northern Project, until such time that Thornton adequately lays out the full scope of the 3-phase project, provides a timeline and project description for Phase 2 and Phase 3, and discloses all present and future impacts to land uses in Larimer County as is required by the land use code.   If Thornton declines to withdraw its current, Phase 1 application, we ask the Larimer County Planning Department, in consultation with the Larimer County Commissioners, to once again cancel the upcoming hearings based on a 1041 application that is premature, piecemeal, incomplete and fails to comply with the requirements of the land use code. As residents of Larimer County, we believe it would be a dereliction of duty for the Larimer County Planning Commission and the County Commissioners to consider or approve the current 1041 application without full disclosure of all present and future land use impacts of Thornton’s water transfers and the Northern Water Project .  If Thornton cannot evaluate all present and future impacts at this time, the City should withdraw its application and reapply when all of those impacts can be substantiated.                                                      # # # Submitted by Karen Wagner (kaswagner@me.com) on behalf of the No Pipe Dream Steering Committee and Gary Wockner (gary.wockner@savethepoudre.com) for Save The Poudre

For Immediate Release Oct. 1, 2018 Contact: Gary Wockner, Save The Poudre, 970-218-8310 State Must Investigate, Reveal Cause of Fish Kill on the Poudre River Fort Collins: Recent news reports have indicated that the fish kill on the Poudre River through Fort Collins has wiped out thousands of fish (see Sept 28 Coloradoan story here). Further, one of the prevailing hypotheses for the kills is warmer temperatures and lower flows in the Poudre River.  Further yet, warmer temperatures and lower flows may be the exact future for the Poudre River as climate change intensifies and if the Northern Integrated Supply Project (NISP) is built. "The State must fully investigate and reveal the cause of this fish kill," said Gary Wockner of Save The Poudre. "If it is related to warmer temperatures and lower flows, then climate change and NISP could turn the river through Fort Collins into a muddy, stinking, dead ditch, not a river ever again." About 63% of the water in the Poudre River is already drained out by cities and farmers before the river reaches downtown Fort Collins. If the Northern Integrated Supply Project is built, about 40% of what's left of the peak flow of water during May and June will also be drained out (see July 20 press release here). Even worse, the proposed 'mitigation' for the huge negative impacts on the health of the river wouldn't extend downstream past LeMay Avenue in Fort Collins where the fish kill has occurred. "NISP would basically kill the Poudre River through Fort Collins," said Wockner.  "The State and the Army Corps of Engineers must do a full analysis of the potential impacts of NISP including its low flows and interaction with climate change." October 4th is the deadline for comments to the Army Corps of Engineers on the Final Environmental Impact Statement for NISP. The public can send in comments to the Army Coprs by clicking through to Save The Poudre's ACTION PAGE HERE. ***end***