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TAKE ACTION: Don’t Let The River District Become The “Ditch” District”

Hi Poudre River Lovers!

Thank you for checking out our website and for taking action to protect the beautiful Cache la Poudre River!

You may not know this, but the Poudre River through Fort Collins is deeply endangered. Much of its water has already been diverted out, and even more water is proposed to be diverted before the river reaches downtown Fort Collins.

Right now, there are four proposals for new dams, diversions, and pipelines upstream of Fort Collins that would take even more water out the river potentially turning the river in Fort Collins into a muddy, stinking ditch. These new diversions of water would have serious negative impacts on the health of the river, on the forest along the river, on the new Whitewater Park in downtown, and on the fish and ecosystem in the river.

But you can take action to do something about these problems right now!

One of the proposed new dams/diversions is called the “Northern Integrated Supply Project” and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – which has to go through a permit process for the project – recently released the “Final Environmental Impact Statement” for the project and is accepting comments from the public about the proposed permit until October 4th.

Save The Poudre’s excellent team of highly experienced scientists and attorneys has analyzed the Final Environmental Impact Statement and has created a short summary of problems that the Army Corps needs to fix. We will also be sending in a much longer technical letter with our comments, but you can take action to send in a summary of comments that will give you legal standing in the permitting process now and in the future.

Please click here to go to our Action Page and send a comment letter to the Army Corps.

Thank you for visiting, and thank you for Taking Action!

The Save The Poudre Team

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PRESS RELEASE: June 22/23, 50th Anniversary Celebration, Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, Cache la Poudre

For Immediate Release June 11, 2018 Contact: Gary Wockner, Save The Poudre: Poudre Waterkeeper, 970-218-8310 June 22/23, 50th Anniversary Celebration, Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, Cache la Poudre Fort Collins: Toyota USA, the Waterkeeper Alliance, and Save The Poudre are joining together on June 22nd and 23rd to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Wild and Scenic Rivers Act with a SPLASH event. The celebration will be on the Cache la Poudre River, the ONLY Wild and Scenic River in the state of Colorado designated by an Act of Congress. The celebration will feature: June 22: Photography presentation by renowned Colorado nature photographer John Fielder featuring his photographs of beautiful rivers in Colorado, at the Lincoln Center in Fort Collins at 7:00 pm (Information and tickets here). June 23: Free half-day rafting on the Cache la Poudre River for 100 guests, including a free Save The Poudre t-shirt, funded by Toyota. The rafting trips will be hosted by Mountain Whitewater and Wanderlust, both long-term professional rafting companies on the Cache la Poudre. "The Cache la Poudre is a beautiful river and we are lucky to have it here in northern Colorado," said Gary Wockner, Director of Save The Poudre. "Please join the celebration to enjoy this Wild and Scenic River, and if you can't join us, try to get out on the river as often as possible this summer." “Beyond our own water conservation and watershed protection activities, through this partnership we aim to drive awareness in the community about the importance of protecting our water resources,” said Kevin Butt, general manager of environmental sustainability, Toyota Motor North America. “The SPLASH series provides a fun way to contribute to water conservation projects and make a difference.” “Engaging people with their local waterways is a crucial part of securing drinkable, fishable, swimmable water,” said Marc Yaggi, executive director of Waterkeeper Alliance. “The SPLASH Event Series strengthens connections between communities and waterways across the country. We thank Toyota for their commitment to the environment, clean water, and another great year of SPLASH.” See more about the national Toyota/Waterkeeper SPLASH series here. ***end***        

PRESS RELEASE: Judge Allows Save The Poudre To Intervene Against Thornton Pipeline

July 14, 2019 For Immediate Release Contact: Gary Wockner, Save The Poudre, 970-218-8310 Judge Allows Save The Poudre To Intervene Against Thornton Pipeline Poudre River, Colorado: Today, State District Court Judge, JUAN G. VILLASEÑOR, issued an order allowing for Save The Poudre to "intervene" in the lawsuit the City of Thornton is waging against Larimer County about the proposed Thornton Pipeline (the order is posted here). Thornton opposed Save The Poudre's intervention and formally motioned the court against it. The neighborhood group, "No Pipedream", was also allowed to intervene in the same order. "We are pleased with the court's decision and, to the best of our ability, we will defend the Larimer County Commissioners' decision to stop the Thornton Pipeline and send the water down the Poudre River through Fort Collins," said Gary Wockner, director of Save The Poudre. "The Poudre River is already degraded by dams, diversions, and pipelines -- adding this water to the river will increase the river's health and make the river cleaner for all Larimer County residents to enjoy." The court case is expected to play out of the next 6 - 12 months as attorneys for Larimer County, Save The Poudre, and No Pipedream will all now defend the decision by the Larimer County Commissioners. Thornton has fought a bitter, expensive, and so-far losing battle to build their pipeline while other alternatives exist including the "Poudre River Option" which was discussed at length during the year-long permitting battle that Thornton lost. "We should all be collaborating about how Thornton can get water and how we can restore the Poudre River, rather than fighting in court," said Wockner. "Thornton is wasting millions of dollars of its citizens' money, continuing to anger Larimer County residents, and wasting everyone's time." **end**

PRESS RELEASE: Save The Poudre Tries To Defend Larimer County Against the City of Thornton

For Immediate Release June 20, 2019 Contact: Gary Wockner, Save The Poudre, 970-218-8310 SAVE THE POUDRE TRIES TO DEFEND LARIMER COUNTY AGAINST THE CITY OF THORNTON LAWSUIT Poudre River: This week, Save The Poudre filed a "motion to intervene" (posted here) to defend Larimer County against the lawsuit filed by the City of Thornton. The lawsuit tries to overturn a unanimous decision by the Larimer County Commissioners to "deny" the Thornton Pipeline from diverting Poudre River water upstream of Fort Collins and piping it across the county and down to Thornton. Save The Poudre believes the organization has a strong right to intervene and is optimistic the court will allow intervention: Save The Poudre literally started this issue 10 years ago by reaching out to Thornton. Save The Poudre kept in touch with Thornton over the years. Save The Poudre originally brought the "Poudre River Option" to the attention of the Douglas Road neighbors (a coalition now called "No Pipedream"). Save The Poudre participated in all of the Larimer County hearings and Working Group processes, arguing for the Poudre River Option. Thornton discussed the Poudre River Option at length during the County hearings, and also offered the County to put a small part of its water rights back in the Poudre. The issue is solely about Poudre River water and whether to run some or all of the Thornton water rights down the Poudre. "Our organization and our members have a right to be in this case because this case directly impacts our mission to 'protect and restore the Cache la Poudre River of northern Colorado,' said Gary Wockner, Director of Save The Poudre. The City of Thornton has initially "opposed" Save The Poudre's intervention, but the judge has now given Thornton 30 days to formally respond to Save The Poudre's full motion. "It's completely ridiculous that Thornton opposes our intervention," said Wockner. "We have every right to defend Larimer County, represent the Poudre River, and represent our members in this lawsuit." ***end***

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