Severance hears final water master‑plan update; consultants highlight three supply paths and efficiency gains

Consultants from WestWater Research presented a final update to the Severance Town Board on Tuesday, outlining three main pathways to meet the town’s projected future water gap and recommending a modest water‑efficiency program as part of the overall strategy.

Cassidy (WestWater Research) told the board the master plan analysis narrowed a long list of options to three feasible alternatives: participation in the Northern Integrated Supply Project (NISP) with associated Clearwater treatment capacity; purchase of treated non‑tributary groundwater being developed by Front Range H2O (the VIDA project); or building a portfolio of ditch‑company shares and Colorado‑Big Thompson (CBT) units coupled with conveyance and treatment. The consultants modeled a planning volume of roughly 300 acre‑feet and ran three cost/timing scenarios to capture uncertainty in project timelines and inflation.

“Under our assumptions, NISP can be affordable but likely will require pulling on cash reserves and depends heavily on timing of the Clearwater treatment and the town’s planned Greeley interconnect,” Cassidy said. The presentation found that NISP—and the Clearwater treatment capacity required to treat that water—would require multiple large bonds and, in the consultants’ scenarios, could be manageable…