Glade EIS delayed

By Cherry Sokoloski
North Forty News

People who have been anxiously awaiting news about the proposed Glade Reservoir north of LaPorte will have to wait until fall for any new information. The environmental impact statement for the project has been delayed so the Army Corps of Engineers can further study the project's impact on the Cache la Poudre River.

The Army Corps is the permitting agency for the Northern Integrated Supply Project, which also proposes a smaller reservoir north of Greeley.

In another development, Berthoud recently pulled out of the project. Officials cited high cost as the major concern. The town will likely sell its share --about 3 percent of the overall proejct--to other project participants.

According to Nicole Seltzer of the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District, the Army Corps has hired a consultant to analyze possible changes in stream morphology along the Cache la Poudre. The study will look at changes that could occur in the shape of the streambed and the riparian corridor if NISP is built, since the project would result in lower stream flows downstream from the mouth of the Poudre Canyon.

Stream morphology has already been looked at, Seltzer said, but the Army Corps decided to do a more in-depth study of the issue.

Glade Reservoir, proposed to be somewhat larger than Horsetooth Reservoir, would be located north of the intersection of U.S. Highway 287 and Colorado Highway 14, between Ted's Place and Owl Canyon. The project would require moving U.S. 287. NISP would provide domestic water for 15 communities and water districts in northern Colorado. Plans call for diverting water from the river to fill Glade Reservoir.