Fort Collins council agrees to NISP talks
The city of Fort Collins will have more formal talks with the main proponent of Northern Integrated Supply Project, but made a point that it won't be a give-and-take negotiation.
The council voted 6-1 to allow city staff to go to the table with the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District as the district pursues final permits for NISP, the controversial project that includes two new Poudre River-fueled reservoirs in Northern Colorado.
But, in a series of last-minute edits to the resolution, councilors took umbrage with words like "negotiate," and "mutual interests." Councilman Bob Overbeck, the only no vote, also insisted upon adding references to the city's formal opposition in 2008 and 2015 statement that it cannot support NISP as it is currently proposed.
It was also a repeated point that city staff is already talking with Northern Water about its concerns with the project. This resolution — which does not change the city's formal non-support of the current NISP proposal — simply codified existing practice, several council members argued. They also weren't optimistic that talks would lead to drastically different outcomes, should NISP be approved.
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"We're already at the table; it sounds like we'll continue to be at the table, having these conversations," Councilwoman Kristin Stephens said. "I don't trust anyone else is looking out for our interests. That said, I'm skeptical. They're going to take water out and not put it back in."
The resolution vote came after a stream of public comments; the vast majority — about 50 out of 60 or so commentators — opposed the resolution or NISP outright. Several opposed speakers argued that any negotiation was essentially giving in to Northern Water and accepting the reservoirs as inevitable. That led to words like negotiate being struck, out of concern that it gave the impression of give-and-take, as Councilman Gino Campana described it. Similar thoughts are why Councilman Ross Cunniff argued against "mutual interests" and similar clauses; the city shouldn't be looking out for Northern Water's interests, just its own, he argued.
John Stokes, director of the natural areas department, noted to the council that the resolution requires staff to give regular updates to the council on the status of discussions with Northern Water. He also noted that, even as the city has submitted hundred-plus page comments on previous draft environmental impact statements, NISP appears to be on the downhill toward approval. That led staff to ask for more ability to discuss the city's concerns with Northern Water.
"It's our duty to stay engaged and discuss," Campana said. "I just don't see not participating at all, not having any conversations as an option. That's not the type of council person I want to be."
Overbeck wouldn't be swayed, however. He argued that the city must not move away from its outright opposition to NISP, as established in a 2008 resolution.
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"We're shifting and we're watering down what we had in 2008 into something else," Overbeck said. "And I think we need to take what we had in 2008 and take it into the present."
NISP would lead to the creation of Glade Reservoir, which would pull water from the Poudre River to create extra storage for Northern Colorado. The reservoir would be about the size of Horsetooth Reservoir and be built northwest of Fort Collins. NISP would also lead to the creation of Galeton Reservoir near Greeley, which would draw from the South Platte River.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is expected to issue its final environmental impact statement on NISP later this year, with a decision on if the project can move forward being expected in 2018. If permitted, its construction could begin in 2025.