Rumblings of unease about a massive new reservoir project in Northern Colorado are growing louder. The Fort Collins-Loveland Water District, which is currently the largest shareholder in the Northern Integrated Supply Project, is raising major concerns about the project’s future and looking to sell off some of its rights to store water in the new reservoir system.
The Northern Integrated Supply Project, or NISP, is a yet-to-be-built water storage system designed to meet the demands of fast-growing towns and cities in Northern Colorado. It has been in the works for more than two decades. As the years have ticked on, rising construction costs and a growing field of other options for water supply have caused waning enthusiasm in NISP, with some cities pulling back their level of involvement.
Now, Fort Collins-Loveland Water District (FCLWD) is going public with grievances about the way the new reservoirs will be built and funded. That includes Glade Reservoir, which would fill a grassy valley north of Fort Collins and force about seven miles of U.S. Highway 287 to be rerouted…