Water Sources#
We manage drinking water from two sources:
- The Colorado-Big Thompson Project shares via Horsetooth
- The Cache la Poudre River basin, including the Michigan Ditch and Joe Wright Reservoir system.
Colorado-Big Thompson Project (C-BT)#
The C-BT Project diverts water from the upper Colorado River, transporting the water to Horsetooth Reservoir, other facilities and users across Colorado’s Front Range. Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District (Northern Water) manages the C-BT Project and sets the annual quota that determines how much water is available per unit. This quota significantly affects the supply available each year and is influenced by snowpack, storage reserves, and system-wide demands.
Cache la Poudre River#
The Poudre River is part of the larger South Platte River basin. Utilities’ Poudre River sources include senior flow rights and agricultural water rights converted to municipal use, all of which can be taken directly from the river. The amount of usable water in the Poudre River in any given year is highly variable and dependent upon snowpack, runoff duration, and water quality conditions in the 1,056-square-mile drainage area above the Poudre Canyon mouth.
Michigan Ditch and Joe Wright Reservoir#
Courtesy of Dick Stenzel, Applegate Group
The Michigan Ditch and Joe Wright Reservoir system diverts water from the Michigan River (part of the North Platte River basin) into the Poudre River and Joe Wright Reservoir. Joe Wright Reservoir holds about 7,100 acre-feet of storage and is Utilities’ only raw water storage that can be delivered into its treated water system. However, it has limited function as drought protection for Utilities.
Watershed Monitoring Programs
The watersheds where our water comes from consist of the large areas of land that drain snowmelt and rainfall waters to the Poudre and Big Thompson rivers, Horsetooth Reservoir and other components of the Colorado-Big Thompson Project. Watershed monitoring and protection involves minimizing the negative impacts to the quality of these waters from activities on both land and water.
Did You Know?
Closing windows during summer days keeps cool air inside (while your AC is running).
You can prevent clogs and expensive repairs by only flushing the three Ps: pee, poo and toilet paper.
You can monitor your energy and water use with our online portals.