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PRESSER: State Must Investigate, Reveal Cause of Fish Kill on Poudre River

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.

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PRESS RELEASE: Larimer County Must Use “1041” for NISP, not IGA

For Immediate Release March 29, 2018 Save The Poudre, Gary Wockner: 970-218-8310 Larimer County Must Use "1041" for NISP, not IGA Cache la Poudre River, USA: Today, Save The Poudre sent a legal letter to the Larimer County Commissioners notifying them that they must use a "1041" permit process for evaluating and regulating the Northern Integrated Supply Project ("NISP") rather than an Intergovernmental Agreement ("IGA"). The letter (posted here) states that Larimer County's IGA provisions "are unconstitutionally vague and violate due process". Further, the letter cites numerous legal precedents where other Colorado counties have used 1041 regulations for projects exactly like NISP. "Larimer County's IGA provisions are unconstitutionally vague and violate due process," said Gary Wockner of Save The Poudre. "The County must use a 1041 permit process -- just as other Colorado counties have done -- to give the people of Larimer County their legal due process to evaluate and speak out about this important issue facing the county's future." ***END    

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

Great News, Poudre River Lovers! NISP HAS BEEN DELAYED AGAIN!

Great News, Poudre River Lovers! NISP HAS BEEN DELAYED AGAIN! We recently found out that the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Northern Integrated Supply Project (NISP) has now been delayed until 2018. So, in 2018 that will be the FIFTEENTH YEAR we have been fighting and Stopping NISP. HOORAY! Thank you for all of the support for the last 14 years! Your support has made all of the difference, and we'd be grateful for your support again. Please click here to donate to Save The Poudre: http://savethepoudre.org/donate.html But the news isn't all good. Due to the Trump administration's lock on the federal government, we can almost guarantee that the permitting process for NISP will get fast-tracked in 2018. Further, it’s becoming increasing clear to us that the system is rigged. Over the 14 years of our fighting to stop NISP, we’ve been relentless in providing objective, scientific information to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. However, every time they come out with a new draft of the Environmental Impact Statement, they pretty much blow off our comments and agree with the NISP side of the story. More recently, we provided objective, scientific information to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission, but they also blew us off and supported the “mitigation plan” for NISP which is filled with loopholes in the even minimal mitigation it proposes. All of that means we are likely headed to court. When our forefathers and foremothers in Congress in the 1960s and 1970s passed laws to protect the environment, they included provisions that allowed for citizens and groups like Save The Poudre to enforce the law. If we feel that the federal and state govt have violated the law, then we can enforce that law by filing lawsuits against those governments. But we can’t be successful without your help. Your financial support has and will continue to make the difference. Every time a public comment period is open in the permitting process, we throw ourselves into it – hiring outside scientific consultants and spending hundreds of hours packing the legal record for the eventual lawsuit. Over the next 12 months, there will be more critical periods where we will once again throw ourselves into it. You have been a great member of the Save The Poudre team for 14 years! We greatly appreciate your support, but more importantly, you’ve allowed us to speak for the Cache la Poudre River in this long, crazy battle to stop NISP and Save The Poudre. Every $10 or $25 makes a real difference. If you can afford $50 or $100 or more, that’s great too! CLICK HERE TO DONATE: http://savethepoudre.org/donate.html Thank you for your support! Mark Easter, Chair of the Board; Gary Wockner, Executive Director

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