NISP Environmental Impact Statement

Draft Environmental Impact Statement for water project hits the streets

• The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers today released its long-awaited draft environmental impact statement for the Northern Integrated Supply Project. The public now has 90 days to comment and provide input on the document. The Corps and an unbiased, third-party consultant spent tens of thousands of hours during the past several years preparing the document, which studies the purpose of and need for the project, possible alternatives and what impacts the alternatives would have on the environment.
• The draft EIS is available on the Corps Web site at https://www.nwo.usace.army.mil/html/od-tl/eis-info.htm
• The preferred alternative includes two off-channel reservoirs, Glade Reservoir, northwest of Fort Collins, and Galeton Reservoir, east of Ault. It would provide 40,000 acre-feet of reliable firm yield annually to 15 Front Range water providers who are funding the project. Two water rights would be used to fill the reservoirs – one on the Cache la Poudre River to fill Glade and one on the South Platte to fill Galeton.
• There would be no new structures on the Poudre River as a result of the project. Glade Reservoir is an off-stream reservoir, which means it is not a dam on the Poudre River.
• Some key findings of the draft Environmental Impact Statement:

n      Reduced flows through Fort Collins because of NISP will not significantly alter the aesthetics of the river. It will still be bank-to-bank during most times NISP diverts.

n      Glade Reservoir will add approximately $17 million annually in recreational values to the region.

n      The project will not reduce river flows within the Poudre Canyon and has the potential to increase flows in the lower part of the canyon and extend the rafting season into late summer

n      Segments of the Poudre River have historically dried up during the winter months. NISP will not increase the dry periods in the Poudre River through Fort Collins.

n      There is a “no action” option outlining what the participants would do without NISP. If NISP is not built, an additional 62 to 100 square miles of agricultural lands will be dried up as those water suppliers accelerate the acquisition of farmers’ water.

n      The water supplies NISP participants will have to acquire if NISP is not built will cost more than twice as much as building NISP.

QUOTATIONS

“It’s very important that everyone understands the consequences if this project is not built,” said Northern Water General Manager Eric Wilkinson. “We can’t operate under the false assumption that if we don’t build NISP, the region will not change. If NISP isn’t built, a lot more farmland will be dried up, which has significant environmental and economic impacts. And if we do not build NISP, that certainly does not mean someone else won’t take the Poudre River water.”

“I certainly hope people will look objectively at this document and especially the economic and environmental impacts. They may be surprised at those details,” Wilkinson said.

“The water from NISP is really needed,” said Project Manager Carl Brouwer. “All of the participants in this project are facing imminent water shortages in the coming years. Northern Colorado is growing, and as the draft Environmental Impact Statement says, the growth is going to happen with or without NISP. We have a choice to plan responsibly for that growth with NISP.”

ABOUT NISP

The Northern Integrated Supply Project began formally in 2000 when 10 communities and water districts and Northern Water held a meeting to discuss their significant need for future water supplies. In 2003-04, the NISP participants moved forward by studying more than 200 options for meeting future water needs.

The Army Corps of Engineers was identified as the lead federal agency under the National Environmental Policy Act to lead the Environmental Impact Statement process. Since 2004, the Army Corps and their consultant team have identified, researched, studied and prepared the draft EIS, which was released April 30, 2008.

The 15 NISP Participants are paying for all costs associated with the project.

LINKS

EIS Executive Summary

Podcast about NISP

Spring 2008 NISP Newsletter

Draft EIS Army Corps Link