By Jamie Folsom
Berthoud Recorder
EATON — Along with the proposed reservoir at Chimney Hollow, the NCWCD has also been trying to get the Northern Integrated Supply Project off the ground. The project may have profound effects for the region’s farmers, and more than 270 of them gathered Tuesday to show their support.
Critics of the project point to environmental conservation as their foremost concern. No doubt the project, including a dam at the mouth of the Poudre River Canyon and two massive reservoirs, will change the area’s landscape forever. But farmers say the change is needed if there is to be reliable sources of water for millions of acres of agricultural lands. Even in a year when the drought is clearly in the past, ag producers are still concerned.
“Wouldn’t this have been a time to fill a reservoir?” asked former Colorado Agriculture Commissioner Don Ament, alluding to the overflowing creeks and ponds that dot the landscape. He and others noted the excess water will head downstream to surrounding states this year. They support storing the water to ensure it would be available for future, drier years.
Several agricultural groups have given their support of NISP, including the Colorado Farm Bureau and the Colorado Corn Growers.
