EIS for Glade Reservoir due April 30

By Cherry Sokoloski
North Forty News

The long-awaited environmental impact statement for the proposed Glade Reservoir is due to be released on April 30.

The reservoir is part of the Northern Integrated Supply Project that would supply domestic water to 15 communities in northern Colorado. The Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District is coordinating the project.

The Army Corps of Engineers, permitting agency for NISP, will hold public hearings about the project in both Fort Collins and Greeley, but dates for these events were not available at press time.

The Larimer County Commissioners also will review and comment on the EIS. They plan to hold a public meeting, likely in May, to help them formulate those comments. A 90-day public comment period is planned for the EIS.

The EIS can be viewed at local public libraries or on the Army Corps web site. There is a link to the site at www.ncwcd.org. Go to projects, then to NISP, then to the Army Corps link. As of April 1, technical reports related to the EIS should be posted at that site, including the Poudre River morphology study that was conducted recently.

NISP calls for construction of two new reservoirs, Glade and Galeton. Glade would be located northwest of LaPorte and would require the relocation of seven miles of U.S. Highway 287. Galeton would be built northeast of Greeley.

Glade would be five miles long and have a capacity of 170,000 acre-feet, making it a little larger than Horsetooth Reservoir. Galeton's capacity would be about 40,000 acre-feet.

NCWCD claims that NISP is a necessary project in light of rapid population growth along the Front Range. Local environmental groups have spoken out against the project, saying it would harm the ecosystem of the Poudre River.