Northern Water: NISP still moving forward despite cost ‘hiccups’

With more than 20 years of planning, permit applications and courtroom fights behind it, the Northern Integrated Supply Project (NISP) is edging closer to construction.

The ambitious plan, led by the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District, calls for two new reservoirs and a network of pipelines to help supply water from the Poudre River to up to 15 northern Front Range communities.

But, with the rising price tag and NISP’s largest participant — the Fort Collins–Loveland Water District — openly weighing whether to walk away, the project’s feasibility is getting renewed scrutiny. For officials at Northern Water, however, the once-in-a-generation investment in future water security is too important to abandon over what it considers to be “hiccups” rather than major setbacks.

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