If the Continental Divide were the center of a teeter-totter, the west slope would definitely be up in the air – and its water would be flowing downhill toward the Front Range. Another trans-basin diversion project, the Windy Gap Firming Process, would take [even more] water from the Colorado River for storage in the yet-to-be-built Chimney Hollow Reservoir in Larimer County. Chimney Hollow, with a capacity of 90,000 acre feet, would provide water to Front Range cities including Longmont, Broomfield, Greeley and Loveland.

People need water. Trout Unlimited acknowledges that. But what's good for eastern Colorado is often not good for western Colorado. Here's why:

Issue 1: The water to supply Chimney Hollow would be removed from the Colorado River primarily during the months of May through August. According the BuRec's Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) this would result in flow declines of as much as 24 percent.

Issue 2: Twenty four percent might not represent a significant impact if it wasn't stacked on top of current Colorado River diversions that include the existing Windy Gap project, the Colorado-Big Thompson Project, and Denver Water's diversions through its Moffat Tunnel. These projects already siphon more than 50% of the Colorado's native flows across the Continental Divide. So, the Windy Gap Firming Process would actually take 24% of the remaining 50% of the Colorado's native flows during the hottest months of the year. Low summer flows translate to higher stream temperatures and increase algae production.

Issue 3: In its current state, the Colorado is not a healthy river. Decades of trans-mountain diversions have taken their toll. During the summer of 2006, TU's Colorado Water Project received phone calls from irrigators – not always our most ardent constituency – warning that if they were to take their water entitlements, sections of the Colorado would go dry. The Water Project helped spread the alarm, and additional reservoir releases alleviated the problem, but it was a warning of what the future could hold for the Colorado River if we do not change course.

Issue 4: Some of the cities that would consume water from Chimney Hollow have only minimal conservation measures in place. At least one of those cities still bills customers at a flat rate, with no price incentive for conservation.

Yes, people do need water. And, according to Facing Our Future, a report released by Western Resource Advocates, Trout Unlimited and the Colorado Environmental Coalition, the Windy Gap Firming Process could be a workable solution if it is accompanied by meaningful conservation and appropriate protections for the Colorado River. Unfortunately, in the Draft EIS, protection of the Colorado River has not received the attention and commitment it needs.

Issue 5: In its DEIS, BuRec focuses on monthly averages with little emphasis on day-to-day flow conditions.  But averages don't mean much to fish and aquatic life. 250 cfs may sound like a good average, but not if it's made up of one day of 500 cfs and one day of no water. Additionally, low summer flows – even for a few days - can translate into water temperatures too high for fish to tolerate.

Yes, people [in eastern Colorado] do need water. But the Colorado River and the wildlife it sustains need it, too. So do the people of western Colorado, who will need Colorado River water to sustain their own future economic development.

The Windy Gap Firming Project – as proposed – will threaten a riparian ecosystem that is already at-risk. To make it environmentally sound, we need to incorporate meaningful water conservation and minimize the adverse environmental impacts on the Colorado by providing real protections for minimum flows, water quality and temperatures that can sustain an historic gold medal fishery.  

Links at left provide an overview of TU's concerns with the Windy Gap Firming Project, as well as the opportunity to see the  Draft EIS for yourself and to review the official comments that TU has submitted on the Project.