Timeline uncertain for Greeley pipe project

By Cherry Sokoloski
North Forty News

Timelines are "kind of fuzzy" for starting the final leg of Greeley's water pipeline from Bellvue to Greeley, according to project manager Dan Moore. Earlier this year, officials had said they would begin construction on the last segment this fall.

Moore and Jon Monson, Greeley's water and sewer director, met with the Bellvue Historic Foundation and the Larimer County commissioners on June 13. The commissioners organized the meeting to provide an "open discussion" about the controversial pipeline project.

The final section, called the northern segment, runs from Shields Street through LaPorte to Greeley's water treatment plant in Bellvue. The entire pipeline project is about 30 miles long and will bring domestic water from the treatment plant to Greeley.

At this point, two-thirds of the pipeline is already in operation.

However, much remains to be done before the city can begin construction on the final segment, which is estimated to cost about $22 million. There are 24 property owners along the pipeline route, and Greeley still has to gain easements from 10 of them. Some are unwilling sellers, so the city must go to court and use its powers of eminent domain to obtain the necessary easements.

Greeley officials said that to date, 82 easements have been purchased along the pipeline route. Five of those were acquired through eminent domain.

The city must also secure a 404 permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the northern segment.

Local residents have actively opposed the city's preferred route through LaPorte, which runs in part along the south side of the Poudre River. The fight has been led by Rose Brinks and Mary Humstone, whose families own property along the preferred route. The Bellvue Historic Foundation is also involved in scrutinizing Greeley's plans.

Opponents maintain the chosen route would damage historic artifacts and have negative effects on groundwater and the Poudre River. A historic railroad bed along the route is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Seeking information

According to Commissioner Steve Johnson, the commissioners need to be well informed about the project because they will be asked to comment when the Army Corps considers a permit for the pipeline.

At the meeting, Lisa Maser of the Bellvue Historic Foundation said the group wishes to find "mutually agreeable outcomes." However, she cited concerns about impacts on groundwater flow from the 60-inch pipeline, citing unexpected impacts from the Pleasant Valley Pipeline built several years ago.

Monson said the Greeley pipeline, unlike the Pleasant Valley project, would be imbedded in porous materials so that groundwater could flow over the pipe.

Maser also objected to a change in the alignment through the Brinks farm in LaPorte. Greeley had originally proposed installing the pipeline along a historic railroad bed, but now plans to build the project much closer to the river. "The pipeline is sometimes less than 50 feet from the Poudre," Maser said.

Brinks said that the big flood of 1983 washed away, at her estimate, about 100 feet of riverbank on their property.

Moore said the route was moved closer to the river for two reasons: to avoid part of the railroad bed and to answer concerns expressed by Jim and Rose Brinks. The couple didn't want the pipeline to interfere with other uses of their property, such as gravel mining.

Ron Sladek of Tatanka Historical Associates expressed concern about the historic resources along the proposed pipeline route. "They will suffer a negative impact," he said. The Army Corps has determined there would be no adverse effect on those resources, but organizations involved with historic preservation have disagreed.

Historic resources along the route include the railroad bed with a section of intact tracks, railroad bridges and the Point of Rocks where the railroad bed passes through a narrow cut in a rock outcropping.

Greeley has made efforts to avoid the historic resources. The city plans to construct two tunnels under the Point of Rocks and the railroad bridges, for a total distance of 1,700 feet. Depth of the tunnels will be 18 to 23 feet.

At the June meeting, members of the BHF suggested that the county should take another look at the pipeline project. In 2007, the Larimer County Planning Commission approved Greeley's pipeline proposal using the location and extent process, an abbreviated process used for utilities that does not involve the county commissioners.

At a later date, the commissioners implemented so-called 1041 powers, giving them broader control over projects such as water and sewer lines within the county. With 1041 powers, governmental bodies can look at project alternatives, study the likely impacts of a project and suggest ways to mitigate them.

However, commissioners noted that they cannot use the 1041 powers retroactively. Some at the meeting argued that the pipeline project had changed enough that the county could in fact revisit the project.

Permit uncertainties

One of the uncertainties around the pipeline project is the federal permit required. The application requires a biological assessment, a cultural resources assessment and a report on water depletion and its effect on the Poudre River, before the Army Corps will consider the request.

According to Monson, Greeley has successfully crossed two of the three hurdles, since the Army Corps determined that the project as planned will have no adverse effects on the area's biological or cultural resources.

Monson said he expects the water depletion study to be completed by early December. Officials with the Army Corps did not respond to inquiries about the timeline.

The Greeley pipeline is only one of several water projects being planned, so the Army Corps is looking at its water depletion together with that of the Halligan-Seaman project and the Northern Integrated Supply Project.

Another item in question is just what kind of permit will be required. When the Army Corps receives the water depletion report, it will decide whether to require a "national" or "individual" permit. The latter assumes more impacts and requires more stringent review.

Greeley is proceeding on the assumption that a national permit will be required. However, 51 organizations and LaPorte-area landowners recently wrote to the Army Corps requesting that an individual report be required.

At the June meeting, Commissioner Tom Donnelly said that in his opinion, putting the pipeline along County Road 54G through LaPorte would be preferable to going through the Brinks' pasture. However, Monson said that without new information about the routes, "I don't know there's any reason to change."

Other issues raised in June by Robert Maser of BHF included reduced demand for water in Greeley and the view that Greeley is overextending itself in terms of debt.