Glade Reservoir and the Northern Integrated Supply
Project (NISP):
An Ecological and Economic Travesty
The River
The Cache la Poudre River, a major tributary of the South Platte,
flows out of the Rocky Mountains, down onto the plains, and through the
towns of Bellvue, Laporte, Fort Collins and Greeley, Colorado. These
communities (and the state of Colorado through GOCO) have spent tens of
millions of dollars to purchase natural areas and protect other lands
along the river, and to create extensive systems of public walking and
cycling paths along it. The Poudre is the major recreational amenity in
these communities, known and loved by their citizens. In addition,
ongoing economic development efforts, such as Fort Collins’ UniverCities
project, view a healthy, thriving river as key for future economic
development.
For nearly a century and half, the Cache la Poudre River has been dammed
and diverted. Nearly 90% of its water is trapped behind dams or diverted
out of the river for agricultural, municipal, and industrial uses. At
various locations along its course and at the junction with the South
Platte River, the Poudre is often dry or a shadow of its former self.
Even if flowing, the river can be foul smelling in certain reaches
because of poorly diluted wastes. Nevertheless, it continues to support
important populations of fish, birds, mammals and other wildlife. For
this reason, it continues to nurture knowledge and connection to nature
among the area’s children and adults.
A small amount of the river’s water remains unallocated. It runs
freely and manages to peak every three of four years. These periodic,
minor peaking flows (the historic “June rises”) are essential for
maintaining the river’s ecological health and decent water quality.
Without them, the Poudre River will no longer be able to sustain
adjacent wetlands, flourishing wildlife populations, and happy human
recreationists, as it has up until now.
The Threat
A large new reservoir has been proposed to impound the last remaining
unallocated water in the Poudre River. This is the proposed Glade
Reservoir, part of the Northern Integrated Supply Project, or NISP.
Glade Reservoir would be built between the ridges of the hogback
directly north of Ted’s Place, on Highway 287. At 177,000 acre-feet, the
proposed Glade Reservoir would be about 20% larger than Horsetooth
Reservoir when full. About six miles of new highway would have to be
constructed east of the hogback, to reroute the section of Highway 287
that would be flooded by the dam.
During wet years, Glade reservoir would siphon water off from the
main stem of the Poudre River. Peak flows would be taken from the river
via massive pumps at a new diversion dam across the main stem of the
Poudre, just upstream from the mouth of the Poudre Canyon. This could
remove from one-third to one-half of the Poudre River’s annual flow
below the canyon mouth—and essentially eliminate the high flows
necessarily to cleanse the river.
NISP is predicted to cost at least $370 million, with some subscribing
communities like the town of Erie taking on approximately $15,000 in
debt per family. Subscribing communities will have to grow rapidly, in
order to add new taxpayers to pay for the project. NISP will thus fuel
rapid regional population growth. They will also have to “develop”
(i.e., destroy) tens of thousands of acres of agricultural land, in
order to pay for the reservoir.
The irony is that a new reservoir and more water aren’t actually needed
in our region. Northern Colorado communities, industry, and agriculture
can meet our needs for water for the foreseeable future, by conserving
existing water resources and utilizing them at maximum efficiency.
Impacts on the River
If built, Glade Reservoir will severely degrade the lower Cache la
Poudre River. Rivers need water. Currently, the Poudre contains about
half its historical water flow as it flows through Fort Collins.
Diversions for the NISP project would cut that by another 33% to 50%
(see below).
Currently, the Poudre River sustains a native trout fishery through
most of Fort Collins. With reduced flow levels, that trout fishery would
likely disappear.
Currently, the “June rise” high flows still peak every three or four
years, cleansing the river. With reduced flow levels, this cleansing
action will occur more rarely, if at all.
Other potential negative ecological impacts include:
* more frequent fish kills, due to complete dry ups.
* smaller fish populations generally and smaller populations of
fish-eating birds and mammals
* lowering of the water table adjacent to the river and thus drying of
adjacent wetlands.
* poorer water quality, as less water is available to dilute pollutants.
There are no positive ecological impacts foreseeable from building
the Glade Reservoir.
Alternatives
Glade Reservoir is ecologically destructive, enormously expensive—and
it isn’t needed. Northern Colorado communities can provide all of the
water proposed to be stored in Glade, and more, at a lower financial and
environmental cost, through proven conservation techniques and modest
improved water use efficiency by municipal, industrial and agricultural
users. These include:
• Comprehensive public education and awareness programs about water
conservation.
• Rebate/retrofit programs for low-water use landscaping,
low-water-use toilets, shower heads, and water-wasting appliances.
• Water fallowing contracts between municipal, industrial, and
agricultural users, with investments in agricultural water conservation
and water use efficiency in return for use of agricultural water.
• Landscape irrigation monitoring and improvement programs to reduce
water wasted in excessive irrigation.
• Repairing leaks in ditches and pipelines, lining ditches along all
reaches, and using closed pipelines wherever possible.
• Tiered water rates that reward conservation with lower costs to
customers who conserve.
Aurora is one of the leading communities in Colorado in water
conservation. If NISP’s subscribing communities simply put in place the
affordable conservation steps that Aurora has, they could cut water use
from 25% to 33%.
The Decision
Northern Coloradoans face a momentous decision, regarding whether or
not to build Glade Reservoir.
Will we continue to take more water out of our rivers, heedless of
the ecological and economic costs? Or will we use our natural resources
wisely and sparingly, so as to maintain the natural and recreational
amenities that brought so many of us here in the first place?
Will we continue to displace and tame wild nature in order to put
more money in the pockets of developers? Or will we hold the line and
protect that wild nature which remains?
Will we try to cram as many people as possible into northern
Colorado, diminishing our own quality of life? Or will we recognize that
the time has come to build better communities, not bigger ones?
The Fort Collins Audubon Society comes down firmly on behalf of the
second of all these choices and squarely against construction of Glade
Reservoir and NISP.
This statement finalized March 26, 2008 and approved by the Board of
Directors of the Fort Collins Audubon Society.
For further information contact: Phil Cafaro, 970-482-8279;
cafaro@lamar.colostate.edu;
or Bill Miller, 970-493-7693;
5mcorp@comcast.net.
To learn more about Glade Reservoir and about cheaper, more
ecologically sound means to secure area water supplies, go to
www.savethepoudre.org.