Critics and supporters of the huge Northern Integrated Supply Project agree it will be delayed because of the decision this week by the Army Corps of Engineers to further study the proposal.
Backers of the $420 million plan to build two reservoirs — Glade Reservoir north of Fort Collins and the Galeton Reservoir east of Ault — say that another look at the environmental impacts of the project will only make it more viable.
“We’re fine with it,” said Brian Werner, spokesman for the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District. “We want the Corps to make a decision based on the best possible information.”
But the environmental group Save the Poudre Coalition said the Corps’ decision to conduct a supplemental draft environmental-impact study of the project means that it’s unlikely the Corps will give the project a go-ahead.
“Everything we’ve said so far has turned out be dead-on accurate,” said the coalition’s Gary Wockner in a statement. The project “is an environmental and debt disaster in the making.”
The corps released a draft environmental-impact statement for the project last April. Besides attracting more than 2,000 comments, it also drew sharp criticism from the cities of Greeley and Fort Collins.
Detractors said the April study did not adequately address the environmental and economic impacts of the two reservoirs. The EPA also said the project could violate the federal Clean Water Act.
“We will revise key portions of the original draft and conduct additional study in categories such as hydrology modeling, water quality, vegetation and aquatic resources,” said the Corps’ Omaha District commander, Col. David Press.
The new report will likely be produced in spring 2010, officials said. If approved, the project would probably be completed in 2017.
About $6 million already has been spent studying the proposal, Werner said. It would provide 15 communities and water districts in northern Colorado with 40,000 acre-feet of new, reliable water, he added.
The district also produced its own report this week, saying most of the obstacles outlined by opponents are already being addressed.
“We think we are way ahead on many of these issues, including water quality,” said Werner.
Monte Whaley: 720-929-0907 or mwhaley@denverpost.com
