History buffs jump on board to fight Greeley water line

By Cherry Sokoloski
North Forty News

History buffs are hoping to preserve a section of historic rail line near LaPorte by derailing Greeley's plan to run a water pipeline along the Cache la Poudre River.

Greeley is in the process of building a 60-inch pipeline that will connect its water treatment plant, located near the mouth of the Poudre Canyon, with the fast-growing city. The project is being completed in stages, with one segment going near LaPorte.

The city looked at several routes for this section but chose one that follows the Poudre River - and an old rail line that would have to be destroyed. Greeley claims that the route is least expensive and would affect the fewest property owners.

The Colorado & Southern Railroad used to run trains along the Poudre to a sandstone quarry near Stout, a little town in the foothills west of Fort Collins. Stout and the quarry ceased to exist when Horsetooth Reservoir was built, but the reddish stone can still be seen in the grand historic buildings of Old Town.

Some of the original C & S tracks also remain intact. The Stout spur runs below limestone bluffs along the river near LaPorte, through habitat now used mostly by deer, bear and mountain lions. Recently, however, the tracks have been getting more attention in light of Greeley's pipeline plans.

Decision this month

A one-mile section of the old C & S right of way is now on track to be listed with both the state and national Registers of Historic Places. A decision is expected later this month. History enthusiasts hope the designation might encourage Greeley to switch routes for its project, moving the pipeline out of the river corridor and away from the old railroad line.

The railroad section includes about 600 feet of original track, plus ties and bridges. "It's an important link to the past," said Mary Humstone of LaPorte. Humstone is a historic preservationist who submitted the nomination to the Colorado Historical Society.

"There are very few extant railroad lines left in Colorado," Humstone noted. "The pipeline project would totally destroy this historic property, and that's wrong." She added that Larimer County has few properties on the historic registers.

The CHS staff has already approved the application, Humstone said, and a decision by the Colorado Historic Preservation Review Board is expected on Feb. 22. Humstone and her husband, George Burnette, own part of the land traversed by the old line. Other property owners include Jim and Rose Brinks and Marilyn Tysdal.

Could affect permit

If the historic designation is granted, it could play a role in the permitting process for the Greeley pipeline. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has to approve a wetlands permit for the project since the pipeline would cross the river. As part of that process, the Corps would require mitigation for damage to any historic resources.

"The preferred mitigation," Humstone said, "would be for them to move the pipeline."

The Corps could require less drastic mitigation, however, such as reinstalling historic features after the project is completed or just taking photos to keep as a historic record.

Local railroad hobbyists are also getting on board in the effort to preserve the C & S branch line. "Anything that has to do with the history of railroads in northern Colorado--I don't want to see that destroyed," said Bruce Maxwell, president of the Northern Colorado Garden Railroaders.

Rick Inglis, member of the Northern Colorado Model Railroad Club, said he would like to see the line either preserved or carefully reinstalled.

The Bellvue Historic Foundation is involved as well. The group wrote a letter to the Greeley mayor's office in January, calling the Greeley pipeline project "another threat to the idyllic landscape in Bellvue/Pleasant Valley" that would destroy numerous historic resources. The letter warned that the project would also "disrupt wildlife in the area, disturb groundwater hydrology and the Poudre River, dry wells, crack older structures, and cause damage for years to come."

In other pipeline developments:

• Several LaPorte/Bellvue landowners met with Greeley officials in early January. They presented a petition with more than 1,600 signatures asking that the river corridor not be used for the pipeline. Signers included state Reps. John Kefalas and Randy Fischer and Fort Collins City Council member David Roy.
• Larimer County Commissioner Randy Eubanks sent a letter to Greeley's mayor and city council in mid-January, calling the proposed route "much more destructive and controversial" than Greeley officials might think. He voiced concerns about damage to riparian areas and lost gravel-mining capability. Eubanks also invited Greeley officials to tour the river corridor that would be affected. "I believe the least expensive pipeline route may not be the 'best' route in this case, and I hope that you will benefit as I did by educating myself on the sensitive ecosystem of this area," Eubanks wrote. As of press time, no one had taken him up on the offer.
• Greeley completed an expansion of its Bellvue treatment plant in November 2007, increasing capacity from 22 million gallons per day to 32 million gallons. The additional capacity will gradually be used as sections of the 30-mile pipeline are completed