The city of Greeley is embarking on an important new project to secure the city’s water future. Through its ongoing efforts to safeguard water for future generations, the city in pursuing the Terry Ranch Water Project that will develop a massive underground, isolated pocket of water that can serve as drought-proof water storage. To answer more questions about this innovative water project, officials invite the community to attend a public webinar at 6 p.m. Feb. 10 https://greeleygov.zoom.us/j/85780121381. Access code: 273222.
For more than 100 years, Greeley officials have consistently secured water to satisfy its residents. The state demographer expects the city’s population to double by 2065. To accommodate that growth, the city needs to secure much more water than it has now amid increasing competition and price for all water sources. That’s where the Terry Ranch project comes in.
Terry Ranch is a 1.2 million-acre-foot pocket of water, sealed through time in an isolated aquifer in north Weld County. That’s enough water to satisfy our water customers for generations, and the city could store additional surface water here in wet years. For perspective, the city of Greeley today uses 25,000 acre-feet of water per year. City leaders identified Terry Ranch in its federally required search for alternatives to the planned Milton Seaman Reservoir expansion. An expansion at that relatively small on-river reservoir, which Greeley uses today, would be an immense upfront cost, threaten protected species, and damage the rivers, streams and wetlands.
Terry Ranch is a new concept in water storage for Greeley, but aquifer storage and recovery is commonplace throughout the West and much of the United States. It is a proven way to store water and not lose it to environmental damage such as fires or evaporation.
Water at Terry Ranch does have naturally occurring uranium in it. So does every other water source that Greeley uses. The uranium at Terry Ranch can and will be removed. The city treats all of its water sources for a wide variety of contaminants, such as viruses, bacteria, metals, runoff from forest fires and natural elements such as uranium. The city, along with engineering experts, has identified the most efficient way to treat the Terry Ranch water. Two pilot tests conducted at the ranch have proven immensely successful, showing all detectable uranium can be removed. See results of our water quality study here.
Terry Ranch is a wise investment in Greeley’s water portfolio and a fiscally responsible way to incrementally grow and expand Greeley’s storage and water while keeping water rates affordable. Through a low-risk purchase agreement with a company called Wingfoot, Greeley will receive the water assets and $125 million upfront to start building the infrastructure needed to treat water and pipe it down to Greeley. Wingfoot would be given “water credits” they could sell to developers in Greeley. This arrangement eases the financial burden on the city, shares financial risk and, unlike dam and reservoir projects, allows Terry Ranch’s construction in phases.
For more information and to review all of the city’s water quality testing and other data, visit https://greeleygov.com/services/ws/trp/greeley's-water-future.