NISP in a nutshell: facts and figures

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The following are facts and figures related to the Northern Integrated Supply Project.

Preferred alternative: The project participants prefer a project that would include two new reservoirs, Glade northwest of LaPorte and Galeton northeast of Greeley. There are three other alternatives on the table, including a no-action option. One of the alternatives calls for building Cactus Hill Reservoir, with a capacity of 180,000 acre-feet, southeast of Wellington in Weld County.

Participants: The new storage would help meet water demands for 12 Front Range communities and water districts. Project participants include Eaton, Erie, Evans, Fort Lupton, Fort Morgan, Lafayette, Severance, Windsor, Central Weld County Water District, Fort Collins-Loveland Water District, Lefthand Water District and Morgan County Quality Water District. The group has spent $5.4 million to get to this stage in the review process.

Cost: Estimated cost of the project is $426 million.

Size of the reservoirs: Glade Reservoir would be somewhat larger than Horsetooth Reservoir, with a capacity of 170,000 acre-feet. Galeton would be smaller, at 40,000 acre-feet.

Yield: The project would yield about 40,000 acre-feet of new water supply.

Schedule: The comment period for the draft environmental impact statement ended in September. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, permitting agency for the project, is now reviewing comments from the public and from affected entities such as Fort Collins and Larimer County.

Fort Collins has requested a supplemental draft EIS, which would require more public comment and would involve "substantive costs and delays," according to Chandler Peter of the Army Corps. The Corps has not made a decision on whether such a document is needed.

If no supplemental EIS is ordered, a final EIS could be ready in less than one year, Peter said. If a supplemental document is needed, the schedule is uncertain.

After the final EIS is complete, the Corps will issue a Record of Decision, which could be denial, approval of the preferred alternative or approval of a different alternative. If an alternative is approved and the participants agree, a permit would be issued and design work could begin.

If permitted, construction on NISP could begin in 2011. However, according to Peter, "there's always a possibility of litigation, and in the case of NISP, the probability is extremely high." Litigation would slow the process.