Greeley’s Mountain Reservoirs Secure Water Supply Through Dry Year

High-country storage system near Fort Collins helps city avoid watering restrictions despite below-average runoff.

GREELEY, Colo. — While much of Colorado continues to navigate dry conditions, Greeley officials say decades of investment in mountain reservoirs and water infrastructure have left the city with a reliable water supply and no need for watering restrictions this summer.

Much of Greeley’s drinking water begins in the mountains of Larimer County, where a network of six high-elevation reservoirs captures spring snowmelt and runoff before it is stored for use throughout the irrigation season. Among them is Milton-Seaman Reservoir, located northwest of Fort Collins near Bellvue, which serves as a key component of Greeley’s long-term drought resilience strategy.

The mountain storage system allows water collected during the spring runoff—typically from March through June—to be released months later, when demand from homes, businesses, and agriculture peaks. Water stored in these reservoirs ultimately travels to Greeley for treatment and distribution, linking the city’s water supply to the upper Cache la Poudre River watershed.

Greeley has also been a longtime leader in the Colorado-Big Thompson (C-BT) Project, the transmountain system that delivers water from the Colorado River Basin across the Continental Divide. The city was among the earliest municipal participants in the project and today owns more C-BT units than any other municipal water provider.

That investment proved especially valuable this year. Although some of Greeley’s native water sources produced below-average runoff, the Colorado-Big Thompson system entered the season nearly full, helping offset the shortfall and strengthening the city’s overall water outlook.

As a result, the Greeley Water & Sewer Board declared an adequate water year in April, allowing the city to enter the irrigation season without implementing outdoor watering restrictions. Officials continue encouraging residents to use water efficiently, but say current supplies are sufficient to meet expected demand.

“Reliable water service depends on more than what falls from the sky in a single year,” said Brian Von Seggern, water resource operations manager for the City of Greeley. “It comes from years of planning, smart investments and building a system that can respond to changing conditions.”

City staff continues monitoring weather forecasts, reservoir conditions, and water supplies throughout the season, noting that Colorado’s water outlook can change quickly. Officials say Greeley’s strong position reflects decades of investment in water rights, reservoirs, treatment facilities, and regional partnerships designed to provide reliable service through both wet and dry years.

A note from Publisher Blaine Howerton

Water is one of Northern Colorado’s most valuable shared resources. We’re committed to helping readers understand the systems, history, and decisions that shape our region’s future. Become a North Forty News member.

Source: City of Greeley

→ Read the full story: Greeley’s Mountain Reservoirs Secure Water Supply Through Dry Year