Frequently Asked Questions

The Terry Ranch Project is the most feasible and affordable solution to meet Greeley’s long-term water supply needs. Several communities in the West use aquifer storage and recovery to provide their communities with water. It is a common practice, even in Colorado.

The city will use Terry Ranch water during future severe droughts when Greeley’s surface water supplies are scarce. Unlike Greeley’s above-ground reservoirs, evaporation, drought, and forest fires do not affect the underground aquifer. City officials identified the Terry Ranch project as a viable alternative to meet the city’s needs with fewer environmental impacts. The city hired independent experts to conduct an extensive investigation of the Terry Ranch property to provide Greeley with the information needed to move ahead with the Project.

As Greeley evaluated the purchase of the Terry Ranch aquifer water, the city and independent experts collected over 7,000 water quality data points and analyzed the water for more than 575 contaminants. The studies, including independent peer reviews, prove that the Terry Ranch water will meet the city’s high-quality standards. A process called ion exchange will treat the Terry Ranch water. It works like a water softener. The city performed a 30-day pilot test using ion exchange treatment, proving this method can effectively remove contaminants, including uranium, to non-detectable levels.

Testing shows Terry Ranch water tastes excellent. Greeley has some of the best-tasting water in the country and uses the blending of different water sources to improve the treatment process and taste. Similarly, Greeley will use advanced treatment processes and can blend Terry Ranch water to achieve consistently great-tasting water.

The Terry Ranch Project is estimated to cost $318 million (in 2023 dollars) to meet Greeley’s demands over the next 50 years. The city is using an innovative purchase agreement to acquire this water and storage from Wingfoot Water Resources. The agreement reduces Greeley’s share of the project costs by $125 million. In exchange, the city will issue water supply credits to Wingfoot for future development. This purchase arrangement ultimately benefits Greeley citizens and water customers by:

• Reducing the funding needed upfront
• Sharing financial risks with the seller (Wingfoot)
• Keeping water rates lower
• Securing a long-term water supply

Water rates fund the cost of new water infrastructure and supplies. While Greeley works to minimize rate increases, higher construction and operation costs make this a constant challenge. The Terry Ranch project is the most affordable solution for Greeley and will help keep rates lower than other alternatives.

Greeley Water & Sewer, like all water providers, must responsibly plan and act to secure water supplies to meet a growing population. Greeley forecasts future water needs using growth projections from the Colorado State Demographer, which anticipates Greeley's population doubling over the coming decades. While Greeley has adequate water supplies to meet today's needs, water providers, particularly in the western U.S., must be even more vigilant to have enough water for growth, climate variability, shrinking rivers, and competing interests.

 Projections indicate that the city won’t need the Terry Ranch Project supply for several years. A phased build-out plan was developed which can be adjusted, depending on funding and demand needs, to bring the supply online in the next two decades. Initially, a water transmission pipeline is being built near Windsor, where it will connect with the Bellvue transmission line, to the ranch. As demand grows, pumps and valves will be installed, and a new treatment plant will be built as the wells are drilled to supply the water.