Larimer County is currently working on a Water Master Plan. The project started in the late summer of 2023, and it will continue through the end of 2024. Please read through this webpage to learn more about the project and how you can get involved.
PROVISIONAL VISION AND GOALS
The Vision and Goals below consolidate input gathered from various sources, including feedback from five Larimer County boards, conversations with the project's advisory groups, insights from the Planning Commission and Board of County Commissioners, the Nov. 6th, 2023 Vision and Goals public workshop, and internal staff contributions. They are subject to minor adjustments through the development of the Water Master Plan.
Vision:
Larimer County, guided by a commitment to stewardship, is dedicated to safeguarding local and regional water systems, aligning future land use with available water resources, and helping to build resilient communities and ecosystems equipped to address future water challenges.
Goals:
Minimize the Threat To Watersheds from Hazards (i.e., floods, severe wildfires)
Communicate and Collaborate to Support Water Sustainability
Promote Water Literacy in Our Community
Align Land Use Planning with Water Resources
Enhance Water Efficiency and Conservation Measures
Q3 2023: PROJECT START: Identification of stakeholders, invites to advisory groups, creation of a public engagement plan.
Q4 2023: PROJECT UNDERWAY: Data inventory and gap analysis, identification of goals and visions.
Q1 – Q2 2024: PROJECT MAPPING: Prepare watershed maps and begin analysis of water related risks and vulnerabilities to Larimer County.
Q3 2024: PROJECT RESULTS: Develop strategies, implementation measures, and mitigation that will go into the Water Master Plan.
Q4 2024: PROJECT DRAFT: Water Master Plan drafted and ready for review.
Q1 2025: PROJECT FINISH: The Water Master Plan to be voted on by Larimer County Board of County Commissioners and ratified by Larimer County Planning Commission. If approved, the plan will be incorporated into the Land Use Code.
IDENTIFIED VULNERABILITIES TO LARIMER COUNTY WATER
Larimer County Priority Watershed Categories and Criteria sued to guide the Water Master Plan. The plan will identify mitigation strategies for priority watersheds, which will be determined based on their ranking according to the criteria in the table below.
These were originally developed in October of 2023 and have seen many iterations due to feedback from the County Core Team, Water and Technical Advisory Groups, insight from the Board of County Commissioners and Planning Commission, as well as input from five Larimer County Advisory Boards.
Categories 1-4 can be mapped spatially and will be included in the watershed mapping part of the project, whereas Risk Categories 5-6 will be addressed in the plan but will not be mapped.
Larimer County prioritized risk categories and criteria.
Priority Watershed Category
Priority Watershed Criteria
(1) Supply and demand planning
Increasing demand from population growth
Uncertain water futures as it relates to climate
Changes in land use
(2) Hazards to watersheds
Wildfires with high burn severity
Source water quality
Habitat
(3) Water rights
Water rights impacted by administrative calls on the river
Colorado-Big Thompson Project (CBT) use
Urban encroachment on agricultural lands
(4) Infrastructure
Water delivery infrastructure
Storage
(5) Lack of water conservation policies or measures
The Water Master Plan will include a robust public engagement process. Staff and consultants will keep the public informed and provide opportunities for public input and comment throughout the process. Additionally, Larimer County staff and SWCA will collaborate with a Technical Advisory Group made up of water managers and staff from Larimer County and larger municipalities and will also involve a Water Advisory Group made up of other interested parties. In addition, the public engagement process will gather input from members of the public who are interested in, and potentially affected by, water management and policy in Larimer County and the region to help shape the final plan. The project team will use several strategies to maintain a transparent and open process with the public to encourage participation and provide the community with meaningful opportunities to engage.
This webpage will be updated throughout the development of the Water Master Plan including with questionnaires and interactive components.
At least two public open house events will be held.
The team will check in with boards and commissions periodically.
Folks gather at 200 W, Oak St in Fort Collins, Colorado for a Water Master Plan Draft Results Open House. Posters were displayed so members of the public could explore the results at their own pace, with staff in attendance for any discussion or questions. This Open House occurred on May 1st, 2024.
At a Vision and Goals workshop on November 6th, 2023, community members were able to provide their input on the direction this project should go. The workshop was held at 200 Peridot Ave in Loveland, Colorado.
Are you interested in getting up to speed with the Water Plan project? Please click through the posters and materials below to learn about the project and to see preliminary results that we are excited to work through as a community. On Wednesday, May 1st, 2024 Larimer County staff hosted an Open House (please find the spotlight here), and the content is posted below so you can explore the Virtual Open House at your own pace.
Have any comments or feedback along the way?
Great! We encourage and welcome them. Please email LCwaterplan@co.larimer.co.us on comments related to the project as a whole, or any specific ideas you've had that could mitigate some of the water-related vulnerabilities our community faces. Please read through each poster to learn more.
The purpose of the vision and goals workshop was to share information about the overall project and issues the county faces related to water use and conservation, support dialog between diverse interested parties, and gather feedback on a vision statement and final set of tiered goals for Larimer County to use in guiding the creation of the Water Master Plan.
Please read through the materials created for the workshop:
Larimer County is taking foundational steps on strategic goals to:
improve long-term planning for water supply in unincorporated areas, promote water-sharing strategies to preserve agriculture, and sustain water supplies
address risks and sustainability, and
prepare responsive land use policies and standards.
The Water Master Plan will become an element of the Larimer County Comprehensive Plan and will help bolster Larimer County’s strategic planning for water, stormwater, and environmental flows. Keep in mind that Larimer County is not a utility provider, so the County may play specific strategic, coordinating, and collaborating roles to achieve water goals determined through the plan.
Through a competitive Request for Proposal (RFP) process, Larimer County selected and has engaged SWCA Environmental Consultants (SWCA) and AE2S, to work with staff, other advisors, the public, boards and commissions, and the Board of County Commissioners to prepare a Water Master Plan. The consultant firms have capabilities to address cultural, natural, and water resources management, wildfire planning, regulatory compliance, and climate change. They also can address water challenges and risks such as future water demands and use of available water rights. The project is partially funded by the Federal Emergency Management Act’s (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP).
Last year as a precursor to the plan, Larimer County engaged a consultant, Brendle Group, to conduct the regional water Existing Conditions study and to facilitate work sessions and an open house to do initial visioning and goal setting. The Existing Conditions report and Executive Summary are below. The work from 2022 is foundational for the next stages of water planning.
