Water Supply & Demand #
Fort Collins Utilities manages water supply and demand through careful research and analysis regarding streamflow, diversions, climate, customer demand and population estimates to ensure a clean, reliable water supply for customers now and into the future.
Utilities supplies water to approximately 75% of residents and businesses within the Fort Collins city limits. The remaining customers are serviced by surrounding water districts, including East Larimer County Water District and Fort Collins-Loveland Water District. See what service area you are in.
Each year, Utilities typically:
- Delivers an average of around 24,000 acre-feet per year of treated water to customers
- Uses approximately 3,000 acre-feet of raw water to irrigate Fort Collins' parks, golf courses, cemetery, and other green belt areas
- Delivers about 4,500 acre-feet of other raw water obligations
Water Sources
We manage drinking water from two sources:
- The Colorado-Big Thompson (CBT) Project shares via Horsetooth
- The Cache la Poudre River basin
Planning for the Future
Using the Water Supply and Demand Management policy, we plan for ways to ensure enough water in the event of population growth, drought and climate change.
Water Shortages
We have established drought severity indicators and corresponding response levels in the event of a water shortage due to drought or water quality or delivery issues.
Water Availability & Demand
See how weather, drought and snowpack impact our water supplies.
Source Water Monitoring and Watershed Protection
See what's done to monitor and protect our watersheds.
Raw Water Rental Program
After treated and raw water demands are met for our existing customers and raw water delivery obligations are filled, there is typically surplus water that can be rented for predominantly irrigation purposes.
Did You Know?
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You can save up to 10% on heating bills by using a programmable or smart thermostat to minimize heating when away from home or asleep.
The watersheds where our water comes from drain snowmelt and rainfall to the Cache la Poudre and Big Thompson rivers and Horsetooth Reservoir.