Brighton Standard Blade 3
August 11, 2021
Chimney Hollow Reservoir project breaks ground Additional Water supply for the future BY BELEN WARD BWARD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
The Northern Water’s Municipal Subdistrict and the Windy Gap Firming Project celebrated its groundbreaking event a Chimney Hollow Reservoir on August 6. “This will secure our water for the future for our kids future and grandkids,” Fort Lupton Mayor Zo Stieber said. “Fort Lupton has grown and we’ve placed increased demands on our water supply. We have a lot of water but we don’t know much Fort Lupton will grow and this guarantees the supply.” It has taken about 22 years of permitting and planning so far. The project, now moving into the construction phase should cost an estimated $500 million with another $650 million in improvements to the West Slope. Chimney Hollow Reservoir will hold about 90,000 acrefeet of water – enough to cover 141 square miles in a foot of water – but still smaller than Carter Lake with its 300-foot-tall dam. It will take up to four years from construction to completion. The Windy Gap Project was completed in 1985 as a source of water storage for towns and cities on the eastern slope from the Windy Gap Reservoir. In 2000 officials decided it would
be more efficient to develop a single project instead of having separate projects for all the municipalities. The Chimney Hollow Reservoir will be built alongside other major improvements in Grand County and it will become a new source of water for the eastern slope towns and cities. The reservoir participants have committed to reducing water per capita supply through water conservation according to officials. Its regional water supply participants are Broomfield, Platte River Power Authority, Loveland, Greeley, Longmont, Erie, Little Thompson Water District, Superior, Louisville, Fort Lupton, Lafayette, and Central Weld County Water District. “It’s going to shore up our water resources for the decades to come. It will help to ensure that we have clean supplied water for the citizens as we continue to grow,” said Chris Cross, Fort Lupton City Administrator. Claude Hanes former Fort Lupton City Administrator has been participating in all of the meetings for over 15 years with Northern Colorado Conservancy District when the Chimney Hollow project started during his career. “It’s going to be huge for Fort Lupton because it confirms 13 units of Windy Gap the city owns. We owned three when I came on board, then we bought 10 units when I became City Administrator,” said Hanes. Dennis Yanchunas, Board Presi-
dent with the municipal subdistrict, said the Windy Gap project is unlike the Colorado-Big Thompson project because the water it provides is reusable. The Big Thompson project, which brings water from the Western Slope to the Front Range, provides water for irrigation which usually cannot be reused. “It really valuable water for the participates because they can reuse it so consequently, it’s not only an additional water supply, but it’s an additional supply that can go further. It’s been in our plan for years. And, as you probably know, most of these communities are desperately looking for additional supply,” Yanchunas said. Brad Wind, Northern Colorado Water Conservancy General Manager, said they will have lots of challenges in Northern Colorado completing the Windy Gap Firming Project. “All these participants in the Windy Gap Firming Project moving forward after the completion of the reservoir will enjoy a reliable water supply very important to their communities, each day year once the project is completed,” said Wind. The reservoir is an off-channel reservoir so no river runs through the middle of it. Northern Water Project Manager Joe Donnelly, said the Chimney Hollow Reservoir will be filled with water from the existing Colorado-Big Thompson project to tap and fill the reservoir through a tunnel.
Old-Fashioned
Summer Picnic SATURDAY, AUG. 14 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Adams County Museum 9601 Henderson Road Brighton, CO 80601 Featuring the Vintage Motorcycle Club (dozens of bikes from the early 1900s to 1990s), a stilt walker, free ice cream (while supplies last), black smith demonstrations and games! Entry into the museum buildings for free!
“We selected this on purpose to have an off-channel reservoir to minimize the environmental impact, and still meet the system water supply for a growing population,” said Donnelly. All the rock and material used to build the reservoir are local and are coming from within the reservoir’s footprint. “So, you don’t end up with a visible scar on the valley. It also allows us to avoid congestion of traffic and disturbance to the local community around here,” said Donnelly. With the Windy Gap water rights, the cities are allowed to reuse the water. It’s an idea of water conservation the more times you can use it the less water supply a city uses. “All of our participates will build a separate irrigation system so they can use the wastewater from the wastewater treatment plant to irrigate ball field or golf courses. It minimizes the amount water they have to divert out of the river,” said Donnelly. Donnelly, said groups like Colorado Parks and Wildlife and Grand County are on board accepting these projects. “It will improve the environment and the water and the water needs of the people,” said Donnelly. “This is what our predecessors did in the 30s and in the 50s and it’s what was allowed and fed the Front Range, the development on the Front Range and at this time, it’s up to us to do that for our children and grandchildren,” said Donnelly.
