The City of Fort Collins is expected to decide later this year about whether it wants to be a part of a large, long-planned dam project being undertaken by the Berthoud-based utility company Northern Water.
For more than two years, the company has been touting the advantages of building what could be a $2.7 billion dam that would help supply the water needs of most of northern Colorado.
For a variety of reasons, the cost of the project has increased from its original $2 billion to the current estimated $2.7 billion.
As proposed upon completion, the Northern Integrated Supply Project would be capable of delivering up to 40,000 acre-feet of water across the defined Northern Front Range.
The project would see storage reservoir construction, ditch and canal work, and the building and burying of large pipelines designed to carry water to regional cities, towns, and water districts.
In May the project won a strategic victory when the Colorado Supreme Court determined that water activity enterprises have the power to acquire property through the process of eminent domain for a needed water project.
That process, according to the court ruling, can only be applied if negotiations with property owners have failed.
A statement issued by Northern Water said the court’s decision was “another step to complete the federally permitted project.”
With the final design process currently underway, the company has said that it hopes to see work on the project begin in 2027.
Several cities, including Eaton, Evans, and Severance have in recent months opted out of being a part of the project, while the cities of Erie, Frederick, Lafayette, and Windsor remain onboard.
July 9, 2026
By Garry Boulard
