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: Patagonia Matching Grant, $10,000!
Hi Poudre River Lovers!
We have good news. Our wonderful partners at Patagonia, the outdoor gear/apparel company, will match your donation to Save The Poudre, up to $10,000, starting today through the end of 2019.
The donation link is here:
https://www.patagonia.com/actionworks/grantees/save-the-poudre-poudre-waterkeeper/donate/
Patagonia will securely process your donation and then transfer the money to Save The Poudre.
We are especially excited to partner with Patagonia in this matching grant campaign because they are one of the leading voices on the planet for fighting dams and protecting rivers. Patagonia is also one of our leading funders!
What did Save The Poudre accomplish in 2019?
- Helped stop the Thornton Pipeline dead in its tracks!
- Intervened in state district court against the City of Thornton to defend the Larimer County Commissioners against Thornton’s lawsuit.
- Saw through the construction of the amazing Poudre River Whitewater Park, a project that we initiated back in 2010!
- Filed a lawsuit in federal district court in Colorado to stop the proposed Windy Gap Water Project in Colorado.
- Intervened with the Larimer County permitting process against the Northern Integrated Supply Project (“NISP”), the massive proposed dam project we’ve been fighting for 17 years.
- Intervened with the State of Colorado permitting project against NISP.
- Filed more comments with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers against NISP.
- Kept the Poudre River’s voice alive to the public, in the media, and throughout the northern Colorado region.
- And more!
When you donate to Save The Poudre, we get right to work! Patagonia Action Works is a wonderful partner putting your money into action.
Please donate here through Patagonia Action Works and help us protect this amazing river!
The donation link is here:
https://www.patagonia.com/actionworks/grantees/save-the-poudre-poudre-waterkeeper/donate/
Thank you for your support!
Gary Wockner, Director, Save The Poudre.