River groups press council for fish and boat passage at Gateway diversion; staff encouraged to pursue multiple funding paths

Members of American Whitewater and other river‑restoration advocates asked the council to direct staff to pursue both fish‑passage and boat‑passage improvements at the Gateway diversion on the Poudre River.

Evan Stafford of American Whitewater told council the groups share a vision to restore river connectivity from the canyon downstream and that recent funding opportunities — including mitigation dollars connected to Halligan water‑projects and a newly created Poudre River improvement fund from litigation settlement proceeds — make combined fish and boat passage more feasible. “I just wanted to make another comment to encourage council to...direct staff, to please create not only fish passage, but also boat passage at Gateway,” Stafford said.

Council response Council members and staff signaled support for continued work. One council member said she would bring a memo in other business about the grant landscape and evolving opportunities; staff said the memo and ongoing conversations suggest a now more favorable funding environment for projects that aim to restore both fish passage and recreational boat passage.

Next steps Staff said they will continue coordination with local nonprofits, Northern Water and other potential funders and bring forward a plan or staff report when feasible. The council did not vote to commit capital funding at this meeting but directed staff to continue pursuing partnerships and grant opportunities.

Ending Advocates said the window of opportunity to leverage multiple funding sources — mitigation, settlement funds and nonprofit contributions — warrants an expedited but thorough staff review of Gateway diversion modification options.