🌊 Water Sources
Where NPIC's water comes from — Colorado-Big Thompson Project, Cache la Poudre, and the North Fork watershed
❄ Snowpack — Poudre Headwaters
Colorado-Big Thompson Project
C-BT Water Path — West Slope to NPIC
2nd largest in CO
Continental Divide
Big Thompson Canyon
NPIC senior right here
gravity-fed since 1953
4 units per share × ~10,000 shares
at current 50% quota
wet year / full quota
~$60,000/unit market price (2024)
West Slope Reservoirs — C-BT Source
These reservoirs collect Colorado River basin water on the western slope before it enters the Adams Tunnel. Green Mountain at 37% is the primary driver of the 2026 50% quota — it holds compensatory storage for west-slope water rights holders and must remain above a minimum threshold.
C-BT west-side collection — largest C-BT storage
Updated 8.8 min ago — obs. 03/28/2026 00:15
📌 West-slope collection; pumped through Adams Tunnel to east slope
C-BT west-side forebay — staging reservoir before Adams Tunnel entry
Updated 8.7 min ago — obs. 03/28/2026 00:15
📌 Water from Granby flows through Shadow Mountain into Grand Lake then enters the 13.1-mile Adams Tunnel
C-BT west-side collector — pumped into Lake Granby via Farr Pump Plant
Updated 8.7 min ago — obs. 03/28/2026 00:15
📌 Western Colorado tributary collection; feeds Granby as part of the C-BT west-slope system
Blue River C-BT west-side storage — currently low (2026 drought)
Updated 8.7 min ago — obs. 03/28/2026 00:15
📌 Low fill % this year is a key driver of the 50% C-BT quota
East Slope Reservoirs — C-BT Delivery
After crossing the Divide, C-BT water cascades into Front Range reservoirs. Horsetooth Reservoir is the primary delivery point for NPIC — water exits here via the Hansen Supply Canal and then the Munroe Gravity Canal directly into NPIC's system.
C-BT east-side entry — first reservoir after Adams Tunnel east portal
Updated 8.5 min ago — obs. 03/28/2026 00:40
📌 C-BT water emerges here after crossing Continental Divide; cascades down Big Thompson Canyon to Horsetooth/Carter
C-BT east-side terminal reservoir — Fort Collins municipal supply
Updated 8.9 min ago — obs. 03/28/2026 00:15
📌 NPIC holds senior storage right here; key C-BT delivery point
C-BT east-side reservoir — Longmont / Berthoud area supply
Updated 8.8 min ago — obs. 03/28/2026 00:15
📌 C-BT reservoir; 2026 quota 50% = ~56,000 AF allocation
Live C-BT Delivery into the Poudre (Northern Water KISTERS)
After C-BT water is stored in Horsetooth Reservoir, Northern Water releases it through the Hansen Supply Canal into the Cache la Poudre River below the canyon. NPIC can exchange this flow — diverting an equivalent volume upstream at the North Poudre Canal. Near-zero during winter; this gauge becomes operationally critical in May–September when NPIC's exchange program is active.
C-BT return flow into Cache la Poudre — NPIC exchange opportunity
Updated 8.9 min ago — obs. 2026-03-27
📌 Northern Water releases C-BT water from Horsetooth Reservoir through the Hansen Supply Canal into the Poudre River below the canyon. NPIC can exchange this return flow — receiving credit to divert an equivalent volume upstream through the North Poudre Canal. Near-zero in winter; active during irrigation season (May–September).
C-BT Quota History — NPIC Impact (40,000 Units)
Northern Water sets the annual quota each November (initial) and adjusts each April at the start of irrigation season. The quota directly determines how many acre-feet NPIC can deliver from C-BT sources.
| Year | Initial (Nov) | Final | NPIC Yield | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 50% | TBD — Apr 7 Symposium | 20,000 AF minimum | Low snowpack; Green Mtn low |
| 2025 | 50% | 75% | 30,000 AF | +5% mid-season supplement (June) |
| 2024 | 50% | 80% | 32,000 AF | +10% mid-season supplement (Aug) |
| 2023 | 40% | 70% | 28,000 AF | Lowest initial since 2002 |
| 2022 | 50% | 80% | 32,000 AF | |
| 2021 | 50% | 70% | 28,000 AF | |
| 2020 | 50% | 80% | 32,000 AF | +10% mid-season supplement |
Most common final quota is 70–80%. The Nov initial has been 50% every year since 2002 (except 2009: 60%). At 100% quota, NPIC would receive 40,000 AF — essentially a full wet year theoretical maximum.
Cache la Poudre & North Fork Watershed
The Exchange Solution: NPIC's strategy since the 1880s has been massive reservoir storage. When the river is in call, NPIC releases stored water to satisfy senior downstream users — then receives credit to divert equivalent water upstream. This exchange mechanism, combined with C-BT imports, makes NPIC's system drought-resilient despite the junior priority.
Stream Gauges — Upstream to Downstream
Reading these gauges together tells the daily water story: how much C-BT water is flowing down the Big Thompson corridor, how much is entering the North Fork, how much Halligan is capturing, and how much ultimately reaches the Poudre mainstem and NPIC's diversion point.
C-BT delivery corridor — Lake Estes outflow en route to Horsetooth
0% of typical seasonal range
Updated 8.9 min ago
📌 C-BT water exits Lake Estes and cascades through Big Thompson Canyon, reaching Loveland before being pumped to Horsetooth Reservoir via the Hansen Supply Canal. Flow here reflects active C-BT deliveries from the Adams Tunnel — a strong signal of how much C-BT water is available for NPIC exchange.
Upper Poudre canyon — outflow from Fort Collins's Joe Wright Reservoir
1% of typical seasonal range
Updated 8.9 min ago
📌 Joe Wright Reservoir was NPIC-owned until 1972, when NPIC traded it + Michigan Ditch to Fort Collins in exchange for water rights. Fort Collins (NPIC's largest stockholder at ~36% of shares) now operates this reservoir.
Upper watershed — early indicator of runoff conditions
0% of typical seasonal range
Updated 8.9 min ago
📌 Upstream of Halligan; reflects snowmelt runoff from upper N Fork
Inflow to Halligan — shows available storage fill
2% of typical seasonal range
Updated 8.9 min ago
📌 Flow above Halligan feeds NPIC reservoir storage
Outflow from Halligan — 0 CFS means reservoir holding all inflow
0% of typical seasonal range
Updated 8.9 min ago
📌 Near-zero values indicate Halligan is filling or holding water
Main stem — NPIC primary diversion reference
Below typical seasonal low
Updated 8.9 min ago
📌 NPIC diverts from N Fork above this gauge; rights priority #97
Lower Poudre near Timnath — downstream of NPIC diversions
0% of typical seasonal range
Updated 8.9 min ago
📌 Downstream reference: lower flow here relative to Fort Collins gauge indicates active upstream diversions
There are only 6 active USGS streamflow gauges in the entire Cache la Poudre watershed, and this page tracks all 6 of them.
The main Cache la Poudre in the canyon above Fort Collins is carrying significantly more water than the 5–6 CFS you see at the Fort Collins gauge — but we cannot measure it. The key upstream canyon gauges are discontinued:
• Canyon Mouth gauge (06752000) — discontinued September 2007
• Poudre Park gauge (06746095) — also discontinued
By the time the river reaches Fort Collins, the major canyon irrigation canals — Greeley Canal No. 2, New Cache la Poudre Irrigating Canal, Larimer County Canal No. 2 — have already diverted a large portion upstream. Those diversions are invisible to us because they happen between discontinued gauges.
NPIC's own diversion is on the North Fork (separate from the main canyon stem), which is why the North Fork above Halligan (23+ CFS) is the most operationally relevant number here — NPIC can see its own supply even when the mainstem picture is dark. The Northern Water KISTERS platform has been integrated — see the Hansen Supply Canal gauge in the C-BT section above, which shows live C-BT releases into the Poudre available for NPIC exchange. The mainstem canyon flow picture remains incomplete until USGS re-activates the discontinued canyon gauges.
NPIC Canal Diversions (CDSS Telemetry)
NPIC primary diversion — N Fork of Cache la Poudre
0% of max diversion right (140 CFS)
Updated 8.5 min ago
📌 Max diversion right: 140 CFS (WDID 0300994, priority #97)
NPIC secondary diversion — gravity feed from Poudre
Updated 8.5 min ago
📌 Diverts downstream of Horsetooth; gravity-fed to NPIC system
Exchange reservoir outlet — not direct irrigation supply
Updated 8.5 min ago
📌 Fossil Creek Res (16,000 AF) used for exchange only
2026 Season Outlook
🌨 Snowpack & Water Supply
- Statewide SWE (Jan 2026): ~55% of normal
- South Platte basin streamflow forecast: 88% of median (NRCS)
- C-BT system storage above 69-year average despite low snowpack — living off carryover from prior wet years
- Green Mountain Reservoir notably low at ~37% — primary constraint on 2026 quota
📅 Key Dates — 2026
- April 7, 2026 — Northern Water Spring Water Symposium (Loveland) — supplemental quota announcement expected ~April 10
- End of April — Fort Collins Raw Water Rental Program: NPIC sets municipal use (MU) amount for 2026 season
- May–September — Primary irrigation season; water orders active
📈 2026 Allocation Estimate
- C-BT (at 50% quota): 20,000 AF for NPIC system
- If April increases to 70%: 28,000 AF
- Normal year average yield: 4–6 AF per share
- Worst drought year (2002): 0.25 AF/share — down from a normal 5 AF/share
- 2026 historic low snowpack suggests closer to the low end of the range