Environment
High Standards of Environmental Responsibility
NISP has undergone more than 20 years of environmental permitting, ensuring the project as configured is sustainable and environmentally responsible.
- Water projects in Colorado are subject to strict environmental laws and regulations. Experts analyzed 16 individual project concepts with 215 potential configurations and agreed that NISP is the best solution to supply Northern Colorado with this critical resource.
- Concluding a multi-decade study in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released its Final Environmental Impact Statement in 2018 and the Record of Decision in 2022, which proved that NISP is the most sustainable and environmentally friendly way to meet Northern Colorado’s future water needs.
- NISP's Fish and Wildlife Mitigation and Enhancement Plan was approved by Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the Colorado Water Conservation Board, and the Governor, and represents the official state position on the mitigation for fish and wildlife resources required for the Project. This commits Northern Water to more than $60 million in measures that will benefit stream flows, wildlife and the natural environment we all enjoy.
- After rigorous water quality modeling, analysis, and review, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s Water Quality Control Division approved a Section 401 Colorado Water Quality Certification and determined that the “commitments for mitigation and water quality improvement measures…result in positive net effects such that significant degradation will not occur.”
Poudre River Enhancement Fund
Northern Water and the environmental nonprofit Save the Poudre reached a historic settlement allowing NISP to move forward after years of legal opposition.
A cornerstone of the settlement is the creation of a $100 million Poudre River Improvement Fund, a long-term investment dedicated to restoring and protecting approximately 55 miles of the Cache la Poudre River, from the Munroe Canal Diversion just upstream of Gateway Natural Area near the mouth of the canyon to its confluence with the South Platte River east of Greeley. The fund will support a broad range of ecological and community-driven improvements. These could include river channel restoration, diversion structure retrofits to support fish passage and recreation, stormwater treatment to improve water quality, and the installation of trees and trails to enhance habitat, public access and river corridor resilience.
Initial funding of $5 million is available immediately, with future contributions scheduled around key project milestones: $5 million at the start of Glade Reservoir construction in 2026, $7.5 million at completion in 2030, and $7.5 million annually until the $100 million contribution is met. The fund will be managed by the NoCo Foundation, with oversight shared equally between representatives from Northern Water and the environmental community. This collaborative structure ensures that both water providers and conservation advocates guide the funding available to beneficial projects.
This agreement is in addition to NISP’s other commitments for environmental mitigation and enhancement, including those under NISP’s federal Clean Water Act 404 permit, Fish and Wildlife Mitigation and Enhancement Plan, state 401 Water Quality Certification, and local 1041 permit. The agreement reflects a shared commitment to protecting the ecological future of the Poudre River. It offers a generational opportunity to invest in the health of the river and the communities that depend on it—now and for decades to come.