March 6, 2024

State Lawmakers Encourage Continued Work to Improve Grand Lake Clarity

The Colorado General Assembly is going on record noting the importance of the Colorado-Big Thompson Project to the 1 million residents of Northeastern Colorado and also the value of clear water in Grand Lake that prompts millions of visits each year and is the cornerstone of Grand County’s tourism-based economy. 

In a resolution introduced this month by House Speaker Julie McCluskie and Sen. Dylan Roberts, lawmakers urge continuing collaboration among stakeholders who use Grand Lake to establish “effective, measurable, demonstrable and achievable short- and long-term solutions” to address water clarity improvements in Colorado’s largest natural lake. Grand Lake also serves as the western terminus of the Alva B. Adams tunnel and carries C-BT Project and Windy Gap Project water from Lake Granby to water users on the northern Front Range and Northeastern Colorado.  

The resolution was jointly drafted by Northern Water and the Three Lakes Watershed Association with concurrence from Grand County, the Colorado River Water Conservation District, Northwestern Colorado Council of Governments and the Town of Grand Lake. 

Colorado State Capitol Rotunda

Since 2016, Northern Water has joined numerous partners in a memorandum of understanding to explore operational solutions to improve water clarity in Grand Lake. Those efforts have shown improvements throughout their implementation, but all water clarity goals have not been met every year. Since then, challenges such as the effects of the 2020 East Troublesome Fire have brought stakeholders together to address the long-term health of Grand Lake and the Upper Colorado River watershed. 

This month’s resolution demonstrates the continued commitment from Northern Water to collaborative exploration of options to improve clarity in Grand Lake and improve water quality in nearby Shadow Mountain Reservoir and Lake Granby. In addition, the resolution celebrates the ongoing partnership among Grand County and other public and private organizations, while acknowledging the vital role the C-BT Project has in the state.