 A pipeline installation crew poses for a picture with the final segment of Southern Water Supply Project II pipeline installed on Jan. 23 near Carter Lake in southern Larimer County.
The contractors for the Southern Water Supply Project II reached a significant milestone last month with the installation of the final portion of pipeline.
The final piece was placed along the 20-mile route near Carter Lake in southern Larimer County. The pipeline, funded by the City of Boulder, Left Hand Water District, Longs Peak Water District and the Town of Berthoud, will bring water supplies to those communities year-round.
While the installation of pipeline is complete, additional work remains. Northern Water technicians are installing and programming equipment for integration into its SCADA system, and testing of the pipeline segments for quality assurance is ongoing. Northern Water anticipates the pipeline will start carrying water to its destination at Boulder Reservoir in April.
Beyond the pipeline, however, work will continue on another important aspect of construction: reclamation of disturbed ground. The pipeline runs through easements on a variety of public and private properties, and reclamation crews will be working with those entities to ensure lands are reclaimed to their owners' satisfaction.
Garney Construction was the lead contractor for the $44 million project.
A video of the final pipeline is available here.
To learn more, go to swsp2.org.
Construction continues on the Poudre River Drop Structure on the Hansen Supply Canal north of Horsetooth Reservoir. (Courtesy of Ditesco)
A key element of the Colorado-Big Thompson Project is getting rebuilt this winter, but because it's off the beaten path, many do not realize its important role in delivering water to allottees throughout Northern Colorado.
Located west of Fort Collins, the Poudre Drop Structure is a chute at the end of the Charles Hansen Supply Canal that drops water into the Poudre River. From there, water goes downstream to users in Larimer and Weld counties as well as to some Plains reservoirs in Morgan, Logan and Sedgwick counties.
The original structure was built in 1950-51 as part of the initial C-BT Project construction . The original drop provided smooth gradient to reach the same elevation as the Poudre River. The new structure, built by Zak Dirt Inc. of Longmont, will have a staircase-style drop for the water. Replacement of the structure was identified as a high priority need in Northern Water's ongoing Condition Assessment Report.
A video about the project provides further explanation.
 Snowflakes fly in the Colorado-Big Thompson Project Interpretive Area at Northern Water's Berthoud campus. While this winter's snowpack is above average for this date, the biggest months for the state's snowpack accumulation are March and April.
Snowstorms in the Northern Rockies and the Front Range have water managers optimistic for 2020, but several months of snow accumulation are still in front of us.
At the Feb. 13 meeting of the Northern Water Board of Directors, Water Resources Manager Luke Shawcross told the board that current conditions show the C-BT Project and local storage levels to be above normal for this time of year and snowpack in the state to be at 117 percent of normal. Additionally, snowpack in the South Platte Basin is 131 percent of normal for this time of year.
However, March and April are among the wettest months in Colorado, and the precipitation that comes in those months will have a big influence on the water available for use by agricultural interests this summer and for municipal and industrial users throughout the year.
To learn more about this topic, go to the Water Data section of the Northern Water website.
 Registration has opened for the 2020 Spring Water Users Meeting planned for April 7 at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Greeley.
Registration has now opened for the Northern Water Spring Water Users Meeting, set for April 7 in Greeley.
The meeting is at the DoubleTree Hotel, 919 Seventh St., in downtown Greeley.
The Spring Water Users Meeting is key opportunity for allottees in the Colorado-Big Thompson Project to voice their opinions about the 2020 quota. Based on the feedback from allottees as well as a report on current snowpack and reservoir conditions, the Northern Water Board of Directors will set the C-BT quota at the Board's April 9 meeting in Berthoud.
In addition to a discussion of quota, participants will hear about the significant progress being made by the Northern Integrated Supply Project and Chimney Hollow Project to provide future water supplies for Northeastern Colorado.
Following the Spring Water Users Meeting, an introductory workshop about the basics of Northern Water and the C-BT Project is planned. This will be the first in a series of educational workshops to be offered this spring and summer.
To register, click here and follow the instructions on the landing page.
The seventh-annual Poudre River Forum has been scheduled for 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 28, at the Embassy Suites in Loveland.
Titled "Quality Collaborations: Coming Together to Ensure Clean Water for a Healthy, Working River," the event is aimed at those interested in the health of the Poudre River watershed. It is an initiative of the Poudre Runs Through It Study/Action Work Group.
For more information and to register, go to PoudreForum.com.
 A signed stock certificate from the Northern Colorado Water Users Association is a new addition to the archives at Northern Water. The association was a precursor to what became the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District.
Ever since settlers started developing farmland in Northern Colorado, they knew the soils and climate of the region could sustain productive farms to feed the residents of the Front Range and beyond. They also knew that in some years, precipitation was enough to sustain the high-value crops that brought wealth to the region -- but in other years, those crops withered under the dry September skies.
The Northern Colorado Water Users Association was formally chartered on April 6, 1934. However, its leaders had been working for many years to generate support for a trans-mountain diversion that would provide supplemental water to ensure crops could make it to market. Under the leadership of Greeley Tribune Publisher Charles Hansen, the association worked with West Slope leaders to plan for a water project that could benefit all of Colorado.
Following the passage of the Water Conservancy Act in 1937, the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District -- now Northern Water -- took the place of the NCWUA and became Colorado's first water conservancy district.
Hansen, called the "Godfather of the Colorado-Big Thompson Project," died in 1954. Both the Hansen Feeder Canal that brings water into Horsetooth Reservoir and the Hansen Supply Canal that delivers water from the reservoir to the Poudre River were renamed in his honor.
Career opportunities at Northern Water
Join the staff at Northern Water to deliver water to users throughout Northeastern Colorado.
Some current openings include:
For more listings, go to the careers page at Northern Water.
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Upcoming events:
- Feb. 28: Poudre River Forum, Embassy Suites, Loveland.
- March 3: Weather Network Users Meeting, 8:30 a.m., Berthoud.
- March 5: Northern Water Planning Session, 9 a.m., Berthoud.
- March 12: Northern Water and Municipal Subdistrict board meetings, 9 a.m., Berthoud
- April 2: Northern Water Planning Session, 9 a.m., Berthoud.
- April 7: Northern Water Spring Water Users Meeting, Greeley.
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