History

State engineer E.S. Nettleton conducts the first preliminary survey of a possible diversion project to import West Slope water to the Front Range.

Irrigators construct small transmountain diversions to import water to the Poudre River basin.

President Theodore Roosevelt signs the Reclamation Act (also known as the Newlands Act) into law, creating the United States Reclamation Service.

Secretary of the Interior Ethan Allen Hitchcock establishes the U.S. Reclamation Service within the U.S. Geological Survey to study potential water development projects in 17 western states.

The Reclamation Service becomes a separate organization within the Interior Department and is renamed the Bureau of Reclamation.

The U.S. Congress establishes Rocky Mountain National Park. The enabling legislation includes the following: “The United States Reclamation Service may enter upon and utilize for flowage or other purposes any area within said park which may be necessary for the development and maintenance of a government reclamation project.”

The U.S. Congress officially changes the name of the Grand River to the Colorado River. Proponents request the change to officially identify the headwaters of the Colorado River and differentiate it from the Green River in Wyoming.

The Great Depression hits. Drought and dust storms force many northeastern Colorado farmers to halt all efforts to raise crops.

The Reclamation Service allots $150,000 to survey and estimate costs for the Grand Lake Project.

Grand Lake Project proponents establish the Northern Colorado Water Users Association.

Colorado Governor Teller Ammons signs the Conservancy District Act into law.

Proponents circulate petitions throughout northeastern Colorado to organize Northern Water.

The Northern Colorado Water Users Association and the Western Slope Protective Association reach an agreement to endorse the C-BT Project, including construction of Green Mountain Reservoir.

U. S. Senator Alva B. Adams presents Senate Document 80 to Congress (a development plan and cost estimates for the C-BT Project).

Congress approves Senate Document 80, authorizing construction of the C-BT Project.

President Roosevelt signs the Interior Department appropriations bill committing $900,000 in construction funds to the C-BT Project.

The District Court of Weld County orders the creation of Northern Water.

The Northern Water Board of Directors meets for the first time in the basement of the Greeley Tribune building. This location is Northern Water's headquarters until May 27, 1954.

Interior Secretary Harold Ickes considers protests against C-BT Project funding, but he determines the project is feasible and forwards his findings to President Roosevelt.

President Roosevelt concurs with Harold Ickes and grants the C-BT Project final approval.

Construction begins on the Continental Divide Tunnel. One crew begins from Grand Lake on the West Slope while a second team tunnels from a location near Estes Park on the East Slope. When complete the tunnel is the longest ever built from two separate headings.

The War Production Board halts all construction work on C-BT Project features except the power plant at Green Mountain Reservoir.

Work on Shadow Mountain Dam begins. The War Production Board grants special allowance for continued C-BT Project construction for war-time food production.

Crews working from both the West and East slopes hole through the Continental Divide Tunnel. NBC radio broadcasts the event live to the nation. A check of the center line and grade reveals the two sides are off by only a penny's width.

President Roosevelt signs legislation to rename the tunnel after the late Senator Alva B. Adams.

The C-BT Project diverts 6,014 acre feet of water to the East Slope for irrigation.

Ten years after work began on the C-BT Project, and seven years to the day after tunnel construction began, officials dedicate the Adams Tunnel. The first C-BT water is delivered to the East Slope.

Water is stored in Lake Granby for the first time.

A Weld County District Court order expands the Northern Water Board from 11 to 12 directors. The additional appointee represents Boulder County, which has experienced a 53 percent population increase between 1950 and 1960.

Engineers rebuild Granby Dam spillway after discovering the original design allows water to undercut bedrock adjacent to the dam's base.

Windy Gap Project participants formally establish Northern Water's Municipal Subdistrict, the first subdistrict ever created under the Water Conservancy Act. Construction begins on a new Northern Water headquarters.

Northern Water, Subdistrict and Reclamation sign a carriage contract, allowing the Subdistrict to utilize C-BT Project facilities to transport and deliver the Subdistrict’s Windy Gap Project water.

Drought hits northeastern Colorado from 1977 to 1978, and Horsetooth Reservoir reaches its lowest level since it was first filled in the 1950s.

The Subdistrict reaches an agreement with the Colorado River Water Conservation District and other West Slope interests. The West Slope agrees to no longer oppose the Windy Gap Project, and the Subdistrict commits to study and construct the Azure Project to benefit the West Slope.

The Subdistrict agrees to pay $10.2 million to the West Slope when plans for the Azure Project are scrapped. This supplemental agreement removes the last hurdle to the Windy Gap Project.

Subdistrict officials dedicate the Windy Gap Project.

Northern Water assumes operation and maintenance responsibilities for Horsetooth Reservoir and Carter Lake. By 1987 Northern Water has 56 full-time employees; approximately half are employed in the Operations and Maintenance Branch.

Northern Water marks its 50th anniversary with a celebration at its headquarters in Loveland.

The Bureau of Reclamation announces a reorganization plan, shifting the 85-year-old agency's focus from project construction to water resources management.

A Water Division No. 5 judge grants the Subdistrict absolute decrees to pump and store Windy Gap Project water.

The Central Colorado Water Conservancy District imports the concept of children's water festivals to Colorado from Nebraska and hosts Colorado's first children's water festival.

Northern Water begins offering C-BT Project water for seasonal rental. People line up as early as 2 a.m. to rent water.

Northern Water and Subdistrict boards vote to include the City and County of Broomfield within Northern Water and Subdistrict boundaries.

Northern Water staff release the Northern Colorado Regional Water Supply Study, including information about projected future water demands.

Northern Water begins preliminary design work on the Southern Water Supply Project pipeline to deliver C-BT and Windy Gap water from Carter Lake to cities and towns year-round.

Northern Water expands its Irrigation Management Service to include a Turf and Urban Landscape Water Management and Conservation Program component. By 1993 municipalities own more than half of C-BT Project units.

Construction begins on the Southern Water Supply Project pipeline from Carter Lake to Broomfield.

A rare sequence of events triggers an explosion at the Flatiron Power Plant’s Unit No. 3. Reclamation must repair the unit before it can pump water to Carter Lake.

Northern Water and Municipal Subdistrict boards vote to include the City of Louisville within Northern Water and Municipal Subdistrict boundaries.

Engineers begin designing a third phase of the Southern Water Supply Project pipeline, a 42-mile segment from Platteville to Fort Morgan.

Northern Water purchases 35 acres on the north side of Berthoud to consolidate all East Slope employees, facilities and activities at a new headquarters site.

Windy Gap Project participants and the Subdistrict consider several potential reservoir sites on both the East and West slopes to store Windy Gap Project water from 1999 to 2000. This effort becomes known as the Windy Gap Firming Project, an effort to firm the relatively junior Windy Gap Project water rights and provide storage independent of the C-BT Project.

Crews finish work on the Southern Water Supply Project pipeline’s final 42 miles from Platteville to Fort Morgan.

Sustained drought hits northeastern Colorado until 2006, resulting in agricultural water shortages and municipal water use restrictions.

Northern Water and Reclamation unveil plans to modernize Horsetooth Reservoir’s four 50-year-old dams to make the structures more earthquake resistant and reduce seepage.

Windy Gap participants, the Subdistrict and Northern Water discuss increasing the Southern Water Supply Project pipeline’s capacity via installation of pumps.

Northern Water and Colorado Division of Wildlife officials agree to construct additional game ramps in several C-BT Project canals. The ramps enable stranded wildlife to exit the canals safely.

The Bobcat Gulch fire ignites north of Drake and west of the Hansen Feeder Canal. The fire scorches approximately 10,600 acres. Northern Water and other agencies cooperate to minimize erosion and excessive runoff from the burned area.

The Northern Water Board approves a contract with RB+B Architects, Inc. to design new headquarters facilities in Berthoud.

President Clinton signs legislation authorizing title transfer of four C-BT Project facilities from the U.S. government to Northern Water. All are located downstream of Horsetooth Reservoir and include the North Poudre (Munroe Gravity) and Charles Hansen supply canals, the Windsor Extension and the Dixon Feeder Canal.

Northern Water and Reclamation sign C-BT Project Supplemental Contract No. 7 to modernize Horsetooth Reservoir’s four 50-year-old dams.

The Northern Water Board approves a contract with FCI Constructors, Inc. for the new Berthoud headquarters facilities.

The Bureau of Reclamation marks its 100th anniversary with a celebration at Hoover Dam on the Colorado River near Las Vegas, Nevada.

A contractor repaints the Big Thompson Siphon, the structure’s first new coat of paint since it was replaced following the 1976 Big Thompson flood. The new color: sweetwood brown.

The Northern Water Board moves its initial quota declaration to October, establishing winter-time water delivery accounts and allowing water users to transfer water before the traditional quota declaration each April.

Northern Water makes its final payment to the federal government, fulfilling its financial obligations under the original C-BT Project Repayment Contract and the C-BT Project Supplemental Contract No. 2. Northern Water continues to repay its portion of Horsetooth Modernization Project costs under C-BT Project Supplemental Contract No. 7.

Northern Water and Subdistrict boards vote to include the City of Lafayette within Northern Water and Subdistrict boundaries.

Crews finish constructing the Pleasant Valley Pipeline between Horsetooth Reservoir and the Poudre River. It is designed to flow by gravity in each direction without the need for pumps, associated infrastructure or power costs.

Northern Water expands its water quality monitoring program, a multi-agency effort to monitor and maintain the C-BT Project’s supply of high-quality water.

The Northern Water Board adopts new Carryover Program rules and a Carryover Capacity Transferability Program to more flexibly manage C-BT Project water supplies.

Northern Water implements online accounting, providing secure online access to C-BT Project allottees’ water accounts via the Northern Water website.

Northern Water relocates a section of the St. Vrain Supply Canal upstream of the Little Thompson Siphon due to unstable geology. The canal is back in operation and carrying water by early April.

The U.S. Senate passes H.R. 3443 conveying ownership of the St. Vrain Supply Canal, the Boulder Creek Supply Canal, and the South Platte Supply Canal from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to Northern Water.

Northern Water dedicates its Outdoor Laboratory for Landscape and Irrigation Education (OLLIE) and marks the 30th anniversary of the 1976 Big Thompson flood. OLLIE, a 2.5-acre site dedicated to turf, soil, irrigation and planting experiments, is part of Northern Water's Turf and Urban Landscape Water Management & Conservation Program. In 2007 OLLIE is renamed The Conservation Gardens at Northern Water.

Northern Water staff begin lowering the water level in Shadow Mountain Reservoir 12 vertical feet to kill aquatic weeds by exposing them to freezing temperatures for approximately five weeks. The reservoir’s location and lack of depth make it fertile ground for aquatic weed growth.

The Northern Water Board adopts a new logo to replace the organization’s existing 20-year-old logo.

Reclamation confirms the presence of quagga mussels in Lake Granby. Quagga mussels are an invasive species similar to zebra mussels. Both types of mussels drive out native species, block industrial pipes and can clog boat motors.

The Northern Water Board allocates 10,000 acre-feet of C-BT Project water from the Regional Pool; water users bid on and lease the entire amount. Adopted by the Board in 2005, the Regional Pool Program provides greater flexibility and to preserve some C-BT water supplies for irrigated agriculture.

The Northern Water Board allocates an additional 15,000 acre-feet of C-BT Project water from the Regional Pool; water users bid on and lease only 1,030 acre-feet due to plentiful supplies.

Northern Water rehabilitates the connecting channel structure between Grand Lake and Shadow Mountain Reservoir. Built in the mid-1940s, the structure helps control surface levels in both water bodies.

Northern Water dedicates the Robert V. Trout Hydropower Plant at Carter Lake. Named for Bob Trout, Northern Water’s legal counsel for more than 35 years, the $6-million project includes two 1,300 kilowatt Francis turbines with a projected output of 7 to 10 million kilowatt-hours per year, enough to power about 1,000 homes.

The High Park Fire is detected west of Fort Collins. Caused by a lightning strike, the fire burned over 87,284 acres, destroyed 259 homes and negatively impacted water quality in the Cache la Poudre River. By land area the High Park Fire was the second-largest in Colorado history.

Northern Water marks its 75th anniversary with a celebration at its headquarters in Berthoud.

Northern Water Directors initially approve the construction of a hydropower plant at the outlet of Granby Dam on Lake Granby in Grand County (Granby Hydropower Project).

Water storage levels in the C-BT Project reach an all-time high; more than 200,000 acre-feet above average and 20 percent greater than the previous record set in 1997.

Following years of effort, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Northern Water and its Municipal Subdistrict sign a new Windy Gap carriage contract. Simultaneously, Reclamation issues a Record of Decision enabling the Windy Gap Firming Project to proceed towards design and construction of Chimney Hollow Reservoir west of Carter Lake. At the same Board meeting, Northern Water Directors approve several financial agreements to proceed with the Granby Hydropower Project at Lake Granby.

Northern Water dedicates the Granby Hydropower Plant at the base of Granby Dam. The $5.1-million project includes two 600 kilowatt Francis turbines with a projected output of 5 million kilowatt-hours per year, enough to power about 370 homes.

Construction begins on a second Southern Water Supply Project pipeline (SWSP II) from Carter Lake. The $44 million pipeline parallels the first SWSP pipeline from Carter Lake to the west side of Longmont. From there the new pipeline will head southwest to serve both the Left Hand Water District and the City of Boulder’s water filtration plant at Boulder Reservoir.

The Water Quality Control Division of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment issues the Northern Integrated Supply Project the Colorado 401 Water Quality Certification.

The Larimer County Planning Commission recommends approval of a county 1041 permit for the Northern Integrated Supply Project to the Board of County Commissioners, which ultimately will decide whether to issue a permit.

Colorado experiences devastating wildfires on the East and West slopes. The East Troublesome, Cameron Peak, Calwood and Williams Fork fires each present hazards to residents and infrastructure in watersheds tributary to the Colorado-Big Thompson and Windy Gap projects.

The Northern Integrated Supply Project achieved an important milestone with the Larimer County Board of County Commissioners approving the 1041 Land Use Permit application.

Due to unprecedented growth of the East Troublesome fire in Grand County, control center operations are transferred from the Farr Pump Plant to Northern Water’s Berthoud headquarters. Northern Water and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation work jointly to protect C-BT Project infrastructure, including closing the Adams Tunnel and halting pumping operations at Lake Granby. A late October storm blankets both East and West slope fire areas with 12-18 inches of snow, halting expansion of the fires and allowing most of the C-BT Project’s West Slope facilities to resume operations.

Federal Court rules in favor of the Windy Gap Firming Project, clearing the way for construction of Chimney Hollow Reservoir near Berthoud.

The Northern Water Board of Directors is expanded to 13 members. The additional member represents the City and County of Broomfield.

The Northern Water Board dedicates the Eastern Pump Plant. The plant includes four pumps that increase the capacity of the Southern Water Supply Project by 63 percent. The facility was designed in 2018, and work began on the $10 million project in early 2020. Despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and a tightened supply chain, crews were able to complete the project on budget and within its design parameters.

Dignitaries from across the region gather to celebrate the start of construction at the Colorado River Connectivity Channel located in Grand County. Led by U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, leaders of public agencies and private non-governmental organizations extol the value of the project that will reconnect two segments of the Colorado River above and below Windy Gap Reservoir.

West Slope employees move into the new Willow Creek Campus, the first Northern Water office and maintenance complex on the West Slope. Employees worked out of various locations, including Farr and Windy Gap pump plants, since Farr Pump Plant was constructed from 1947 to 1951. The new building offers a mix of office and fleet maintenance space, as well as a control room to allow staff to manage Northern Water facilities.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issues a federal Clean Water Act Section 404 Record of Decision for the Northern Integrated Supply Project. This is a major milestone for NISP, as it reflects the lead federal regulatory agency’s review and approval of the project. The Corps’ approval is based on a lengthy and rigorous scientific analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act and a host of other environmental laws, including the federal Endangered Species Act, National Historic Preservation Act, State Water Quality compliance certification, and State Fish and Wildlife Mitigation Plan requirements.