Wellington trustees back strategy to diversify water supplies; consultants urge mix of VIDA purchase and North Poudre shares

Wellington Town staff and consultants on Sept. 23 presented a water source development plan that recommends the town pursue a mix of nontributary groundwater purchases from a private developer’s VIDA project (Front Range H2O/VIDA) and incremental purchases or dedications of North Poudre Irrigation Company (NPIC) shares to meet a projected long‑term supply gap.

Megan Smith, deputy director of Public Works, introduced the item and turned the presentation over to Adam Jokers, project manager with Westwater Research Inc., who said the firm modeled demand, affordability and alternatives over a 30‑year planning horizon. Jokers told the board the town’s most probable demand projection is about 26,200 acre‑feet by 2054 and that current supplies — modeled at roughly 1,875 acre‑feet (about 1,500 acre‑feet under the town’s historical North Poudre agreement plus ~375 acre‑feet from the Wilson wells) — leave a long‑term gap in the order of roughly 750 acre‑feet.

The draft plan evaluated a long list of options and narrowed them by cost, timing and risk. Jokers said the Northern Integrated Supply Project (NISP) did not pass the affordability screen for Wellington given current cost estimates (Northern Water has cited roughly $2.7 billion and Westwater modeled higher costs if delayed). Buying ditch company shares — primarily NPIC or Colorado‑Big Thompson (CBT) units — and nontributary…