Northern Water sets 80% quota for Colorado-Big Thompson amid drought

Colorado-Big Thompson water share owners, including water districts serving the Fort Collins area, will receive 80% of their allotted water from that system this season.

That quota is a bit higher than in recent years.

How can that be, when the region is in the midst of drought, with historically low snowpack?

It’s because water from the Colorado-Big Thompson Project is intended as a supplement to local water supplies, according to a Northern Water news release announcing the quota. So the quota is based on demand: in wet years, when demand is lower, the quota is often lower as well. In dry years, when demand is higher, the quota is often higher.

Based on this season’s needs, the quota could have been set at 100%, the news release said, but Northern Water board members opted for a conservative approach to allow for more long-term flexibility if drought persists.

While stream flows are expected to be lower due to lower snowpack, storage reservoirs are above their historic average, allowing for a higher quota to be set.

Water providers like Fort Collins Utilities, Fort Collins-Loveland Water District, and East Larimer County Water District have been waiting to learn the quota before deciding on any water restrictions.

While none has yet said whether they will enact any restrictions, the quota, at 80%, is higher than it has been in the past seven years, when it was 70%.

Each of the Fort Collins-area water districts has a different water portfolio and a differing reliance on water from the Colorado-Big Thompson Project.

These water providers have reported that CB-T water accounts for 50% to 70% of their portfolios. They also get water from the Poudre River.

Northern Water estimates 1.1 million people live within its boundary, and Colorado-Big Thompson water is a supplement for 33 cities and towns, 120 agricultural irrigation companies, various industries and other water users.

The water for the Colorado-Big Thompson Project is diverted from the Upper Colorado River and Big Thompson River and stored in Horsetooth Reservoir and Carter Lake.

Colorado-Big Thompson Project Quotas In Recent Years

Northern Water set the following quotas in April of each year:

• 2026: 80%
• 2025: 70%
• 2024: 70%
• 2023: 70%
• 2022: 70%
• 2021: 70%
• 2020: 70%
• 2019: 70%
• 2018: 80%
• 2017: 80%

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Amid drought, Northern Water makes more water available. Here’s why.

Reporting by Rebecca Powell, Fort Collins Coloradoan / Fort Collins Coloradoan, USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect