Water Treatment FAQs

The construction schedule was designed to coincide with the drop in demand that happens every fall when people are no longer irrigating their yards. We’ll begin curtailing treatment in late September through mid-November, during which time Bellvue Water Treatment Plant will be offline.

The key to our system’s success is redundancy. Greeley employs two treatment plants to improve the quality, capacity, and safety of our community’s drinking water. Using the latest technologies and most effective practices, Bellvue, built in 1907 at the mouth of the Poudre Canyon, treats up to 35 million gallons a day; Boyd Lake in Loveland was built in 1964 and can produce up to 38 million gallons a day. These two facilities provide ample capacity to enable us to seamlessly shut one plant down and shift demand to the other during the non-irrigation season.

While both treatment facilities are located in the foothills, Boyd Lake pulls its water from relatively shallow reservoirs. Anyone who grew up drinking groundwater would likely think it tastes perfectly normal, but for those of us who are used to drinking high-mountain river water, there may be a slight difference in viscosity and taste.

Drinking water from Boyd Lake is just as safe as the water produced by Bellvue. In fact, during the summer months, about half the city already receives a mix of Boyd Lake and Bellvue water. Bottom line? Whether it’s treated at Bellvue or Boyd Lake, Greeley’s drinking water meets and exceeds all state and federal drinking water standards.