Non-potable water

We have a long history of non-potable irrigation, beginning in 1870, when Greeley began using Canal No. 3 to water parks and gardens. When cost-effective, we build non-potable facilities to water large properties such as parks and common areas of homeowner's associations. Our staff oversees construction of non-potable facilities. We and the parks department operate several pump stations which are in operation from March 30th until October 31st. They are constantly monitored while in operation. If you have any questions concerning a particular ditch, canal, lake, pond, or non-potable site in the Greeley area, please call 350-9811.

Supply

The City has numerous water rights below the water treatment plants. Pumping water back to the plants would be cost-prohibitive and inefficient. While the water can be used to satisfy return flows to the river, Greeley chooses to put it to beneficial use before returning it to the river. Greeley instead chooses to store those water rights closer to town to use as non-potable supply.

Gravel Lake Storage

The purpose of gravel lakes is to store non-potable water supplies for later release to the Poudre River to replace depletions to local river systems. Mined out gravel pits are lined and used for water storage. A vertical wall is built to cut off groundwater flow into the gravel lake or a clay line interior is placed against the wall of the pit.

Poudre Ponds

Poudre Ponds storage facility is located in north Greeley between 25th and 35th Avenues between F and O Streets. The City purchased the Poudre Ponds parcel from in 2000, and developed 1500 acre- feet of lined water storage. The storage vessel is a mined-out gravel pit with an 8,500 foot long and 55 feet deep slurry wall liner. Greeley uses this storage to make releases of required augmentation (replacement) water and to meet return flow requirements. Poudre Ponds is also used as a “Fishing Is Fun” site.

Overland Trail

The Overland Trail Reservoir project is located near Greeley’s Bellvue Water Treatment Plant and the Fort Collins-Loveland Water District, the North Weld County Water District, and the East Larimer County Water District (Districts’) Soldier Canyon Filter Plant. Greeley and the Districts’ propose to store water available from transbasin and tributary water rights in a series of lined gravel pit reservoirs to be constructed adjacent to the Poudre River on both sides of Taft Hill Road. Releases from the reservoirs would be exchanged to Greeley’s or the Districts’ treatment plants or other structures, used to meet downstream return flow obligations, or to augment out-of-priority uses of water. Greeley and the Districts’ may also construct pumps and pipelines to connect the storage directly to the water treatment plants.

Greeley Irrigation Company Number 3 Ditch

The Number 3 Ditch is a 13-mile ditch that begins west of 71st Avenue and ends just south of the Weld County Airport at Fern Avenue. We own part of the Number 3 Ditch along with Greeley Irrigation Company shareholders. The ditch historically irrigated 3,500 acres and currently irrigates approximately 1,500 acres. Today, water taken from the ditch is used for agricultural irrigation, augmentation from water well depletions, and as part of our  non-potable irrigation program.