On a sunny afternoon in Fort Collins, the Cache la Poudre River still looks like prime tubing territory, but a lot of that water is actually coming from somewhere else. After a dry winter and an early runoff that left natural flows lagging, water managers are leaning on stored supplies from other basins to keep the river pulling double duty for farms, cities, and summer recreation.
Speaking to CBS Colorado, Northern Water spokesperson Jeff Stahla called the Poudre "one of the hardest-working rivers in the state" and confirmed that managers have been supplementing its flow with stored water from the Colorado and Big Thompson rivers. He also told CBS that some of the current deliveries trace back to the Laramie and North Platte basins, all in an effort to keep water moving through town in a dry year when river users and irrigators are competing for limited supplies.
How the extra water gets here
Northern Water operates the Colorado-Big Thompson system and related storage programs that move transmountain water to the Front Range. According to Northern Water, this year’s low snowpack and early runoff have put pressure on native supplies, even as Colorado-Big Thompson reservoirs still hold stored water that can be released during dry stretches. The agency notes that the C-BT and other projects were built to supplement natural flows and help bolster river levels, along with municipal and agricultural deliveries, when runoff comes up short. Those releases travel through a web of reservoirs, canals, and tunnels before they show up in the Poudre Valley.
Local conservation now in effect
The outlook has local governments asking residents to join the balancing act. The City of Fort Collins put a voluntary Water Shortage Watch in place starting May 1. As outlined by the City of Fort Collins, Utilities is urging homes and businesses to dial back lawn irrigation and other nonessential outdoor use in hopes of avoiding mandatory restrictions later this summer. Those voluntary cutbacks are part of a broader effort across Larimer County as water providers keep a close eye on streamflows and reservoir levels.
River still a summer draw
Even with lower-than-normal natural flows, the Poudre is still pulling in tubers and anglers. One floater told CBS Colorado she was "just tubing in the Poudre River, having fun," a reminder that for many locals the river is as much a playground as it is a water supply. The Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed and event organizers say Poudre RiverFest returns on Aug. 8 at New Belgium Brewing in Old Town Fort Collins to celebrate the river and boost public awareness. Organizers and water managers point to the festival as a way to highlight both the Poudre’s recreational pull and the need for careful water management this summer.
Water managers say the constant juggling of releasing stored supplies while protecting senior water rights is keeping the Poudre flowing through town, but it is also a blunt reminder that Colorado’s water system is stretched thin in dry years. Officials recommend sticking with local conservation guidance and checking updates from Northern Water and city Utilities as conditions evolve over the coming months.
