The year 2009 stands as an outstanding (and somewhat staggering) example of why additional storage of Colorado’s most precious natural resource makes sense: More than 90,000 acre feet left Colorado that would have been available for NISP to store, had the project been online.

The Poudre River diversions for Glade Reservoir would be made during high flow years using a water right secured in 1980 for the benefit of Northeastern Colorado. The South Platte Water Conservation Project (Galeton Reservoir) water right dates to 1992 and would have diverted water from the South Platte River downstream of Greeley for much of the past year. Even in late April 2010 this water is still available to Coloradoans now, but continues to leave the state as most local reservoirs are completely or nearly full heading into spring.

Former state ag commissioner Don Ament may have stated it best during the July 2009 Farmers for NISP Rally: “With all this rain we’ve had, wouldn’t this have been a time to fill a reservoir?”

Northern Water continues to navigate through the environmental permitting process for the Northern Integrated Supply Project on behalf of 11 cities and towns and four water districts. A supplemental draft environmental impact statement should be released to the public sometime in 2011.