Greeley Water History
Greeley’s Water Origins
With shovels and sweat, farmers etched initial irrigation ditches into the Greeley landscape. In 1861, farmers dug the Watrous, Whedbee, Seconda and Dry Ditches. In 1866, workers built the (Robert) Boyd/Freeman Pioneer Ditch near Greeley.
In 1869, Nathan Meeker, the agricultural editor of the New York Tribune, visited Colorado and told Horace Greeley, editor of the Tribune, of his idea to start a colony there. The Tribune announced that people could purchase a parcel of land in the new settlement for a $150 membership fee.
1870s
The Number 3 Ditch began operation in June of 1870 and was the first completed ditch in the Greeley area. It is a 13-mile ditch that starts west of 71st Avenue and ends just south of the Weld County Airport at Fern Avenue.
After early failures in ditch No. 2, colonists realized the importance of competent water engineers. The canal was 35 miles long and irrigated 2,000 acres. Colonists spent $87,000 over the next several years to enlarge the ditch and dam the river.
Colorado adopted the Doctrine of Prior Appropriation for water as part of its constitution. The prior appropriation system is based on the principle, "first in time, first in right." In 1878 the legislator divided the state into water districts and selected water commissioners for each one. David Boyd became the first commissioner to represent Greeley.
1880s
In 1886, Greeley's early settlers constructed a series of infiltration wells for the city's first water system. The well water quality diminished as nutrients from surrounding farms flowed into the wells. The water continued to degrade until 1900 when the citizens sought a new source. Through the end of the century, Greeley continued to build new ditches, and eventually secured the construction of some of the state's largest reservoirs in northern Colorado.
Growth in the New Century – Early 1900s
Throughout the early 1900s, Greeley continued to expand its water resources, first through a farm bought in Bellvue, 35 miles northwest of the town, then expansion of its reservoir system, and building of the Bellvue water treatment facility. Thirty-six miles of 20-inch diameter wooden pipeline stretched past irrigated lands near the foothills to bring Poudre River water to Greeley. Until then, Greeley residents relied on infiltration wells built into the gravel bed of the river, a short distance from the center of town, to provide water to their homes.
1930s – 1950s
After being denied water from the North Platte River in a 1933 Supreme Court decision, residents looked to the "Last Water Hole in the West," the Colorado River, to alleviate their thirst. They needed water, and they needed jobs. In 1937, President Roosevelt appropriated $900,000 to begin the construction of the Colorado-Big Thompson Project. It took 19 years to complete and delivered 13.4 million gallons of water daily to Eastern Slope communities. The project financed the construction of the 13.1-mile-long Alva B. Adams Tunnel, 10 reservoirs, 13 dams, six power plants, three pumping plants, and numerous canals and waterways. The final cost of the internationally acclaimed project would be $164 million. The Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District oversaw the project. In 1958, the newly formed Greeley Water Board assumes management of Greeley's water system.
1960s
Greeley began accepting shares of the Greeley-Loveland Irrigation System, comprised of three interrelated companies: Greeley Loveland Irrigation Company (Boyd Lake), Loveland and Greeley Reservoir Company (Lake Loveland), and Seven Lakes Reservoir Company (Horseshoe Reservoir). In 1969, Greeley completed the construction of the Boyd Lake Water Treatment Plant, allowing the city to use Big Thompson River water diverted by the Greeley-Loveland Irrigation Company. That same year, Greeley and six other Front Range municipalities jointly developed the Windy Gap Project--a trans basin diversion project delivering water from the Colorado River to the Eastern Slope using the Colorado-Big Thompson system.
1990s
Greeley obtained 3.2 billion gallons of water supplies and supported local agriculture by buying water from local farmers, then renting it back to them for 20 years. In 1995, the Greeley Water and Sewer Board adopted a water conservation implementation plan to address Greeley's growing water needs as the population exceeded 60,000. Shortly after in 1999, Greeley started a Water Master Plan for the next 20-50 years.
Greeley’s Water Future – Early 2000s
The U.S. Census Bureau reported growth in the Greeley metro area at 16.8 percent between 2000 and 2003. The population of Greeley was 84,519 in 2003. A drought in the early 2000s brought the most extreme conditions in 300 years, compounded with low annual snowpack and rainfall, plus extreme heat. Greeley had to draw from its water storage for the first time in 50 years. In 2003, the City of Greeley completed its Water Master Plan to define specific steps to provide a reliable water supply for Greeley to 2020. The Colorado Water Conservation Board approved Greeley's Water Conservation Plan. Greeley's conservation plan predicted a more than eight percent reduction in Greeley's water demand over the next 20 years.
2014-2017
Greeley developed a rate program for a structured water budget. It was the most accurate and equitable way of addressing community water needs. Greeley's population continued to rise at a rapid rate; in 2015, the city reached 100,000 residents.
2021
On March 2, 2021, the Greeley City Council unanimously approved an ordinance that authorized the city to purchase the Terry Ranch aquifer. The aquifer stores 1.2 million acre-feet of groundwater. This purchase helped secure water to support the 260,000 people expected to live in the city by 2065. The council also allowed the city to issue water credits for the Terry Ranch water to developers who planned to build in Greeley. With the approval, the city could drop its plans to enlarge Milton Seaman Reservoir, which had been languishing for several years with little hope for approval.