Water in Larimer County

DRAFT VISION AND GOALS

Here are the most current Visions and Goals for the Larimer County Water Master Plan. These are still labeled as draft as until the final Water Plan is published, there might be minor word revisions for grammar, punctuation, etc. 

These consolidate input gathered from various sources, including feedback from five Larimer County boards, conversations with the project's advisory groups, insights from the Planning Commission and Board of County Commissioners, the Nov. 6th, 2023 Vision and Goals public workshop, and internal staff contributions. They are subject to minor adjustments during the development of the Water Master Plan. 

VISION

"Larimer County, guided by a commitment to stewardship, is dedicated to safeguarding local and regional water systems, aligning future land use with available water resources, and helping to build resilient communities and ecosystems equipped to address future water challenges."

GOALS

• Minimize the Threat To Watersheds from Hazards (i.e., floods, high-intensity wildfires)
• Communicate and Collaborate to Support Water Sustainability
• Promote Water Literacy in Our Community
• Align Land Use Planning with Water Resources
• Enhance Water Efficiency and Conservation Measures

Feel free to send your thoughts regarding these vision and goals to LCwaterplan@co.larimer.co.us

IDENTIFIED VULNERABILITIES TO LARIMER COUNTY WATER

The Water Master Plan team has come up with a list of risk categories and associated risk criteria (in this context, also known as vulnerabilities) to help understand what the challenges are and what Larimer County can do to keep water flowing strong for everyone, and everything, that depend on it. Though the work in the Water Master Plan will help identify strategies to mitigate risks to our watersheds, we have put together a list of prioritized risks that Larimer County hopes to address:

Risk Categories and Criteria - May 1, 2024

Upcoming Events & Ways to Get Involved:

• Sign-up to stay involved by sending your contact information to LC Water Plan
• Online questionnaire 
• Upcoming events will be posted here when details become available

Public Engagement Overview:

The Water Master Plan will include a robust public engagement process. Staff and consultants will keep the public informed and provide opportunities for public input and comment throughout the process. Additionally, Larimer County staff and SWCA will collaborate with a Technical Advisory Group made up of water managers and staff from Larimer County and larger municipalities and will also involve a Water Advisory Group made up of other interested parties. In addition, the public engagement process will gather input from members of the public who are interested in, and potentially affected by, water management and policy in Larimer County and the region to help shape the final plan. The project team will use several strategies to maintain a transparent and open process with the public to encourage participation and provide the community with meaningful opportunities to engage.

• This webpage will be updated throughout the development of the Water Master Plan including with questionnaires and interactive components.
• At least two public open house events will be held.
• The team will check in with boards and commissions periodically.
• Staff can be available to attend your event.

The purpose of the vision and goals workshop was to share information about the overall project and issues the county faces related to water use and conservation, support dialog between diverse interested parties, and gather feedback on a vision statement and final set of tiered goals for Larimer County to use in guiding the creation of the Water Master Plan.

Please read through the materials created for the workshop:

• Vision and Goals Worksheet
• Vision and Goals Presentation.pptx
• Welcome and Overview Poster
• Background and Risks Poster
• Community Water Systems Poster
• Framing the Vision and Goals Poster

Larimer County is taking foundational steps on strategic goals to:

• improve long-term planning for water supply in unincorporated areas, promote water-sharing strategies to preserve agriculture, and sustain water supplies

• address risks and sustainability, and

• prepare responsive land use policies and standards.

The Water Master Plan will become an element of the Larimer County Comprehensive Plan and will help bolster Larimer County’s strategic planning for water, stormwater, and environmental flows. Keep in mind that Larimer County is not a utility provider, so the County may play specific strategic, coordinating, and collaborating roles to achieve water goals determined through the plan.

Summary of Current Work

Through a competitive Request for Proposal (RFP) process, Larimer County selected and has engaged SWCA Environmental Consultants (SWCA) and AE2S, to work with staff, other advisors, the public, boards and commissions, and the Board of County Commissioners to prepare a Water Master Plan. The consultant firms have capabilities to address cultural, natural, and water resources management, wildfire planning, regulatory compliance, and climate change. They also can address water challenges and risks such as future water demands and use of available water rights. The project is partially funded by the Federal Emergency Management Act’s (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP).

The summary of the project Scope of Work is attached: Water Plan Scope and Schedule Summary

Project Schedule

• Q3 2023: PROJECT START: Identification of stakeholders, invites to advisory groups, creation of a public engagement plan.
• Q4 2023: PROJECT UNDERWAY: Data inventory and gap analysis, identification of goals and visions.
• Q1 – Q2 2024: PROJECT MAPPING: Prepare watershed maps and begin analysis of water related risks and vulnerabilities to Larimer County.
• Q3 2024: PROJECT RESULTS: Develop strategies, implementation measures, and mitigation that will go into the Water Master Plan.
• Q4 2024: PROJECT DRAFT: Water Master Plan drafted and ready for review.
• Q1 2025: PROJECT FINISH: The Water Master Plan to be voted on by Larimer County Board of County Commissioners and ratified by Larimer County Planning Commission. If approved, the plan will be incorporated into the Land Use Code.

Last year as a precursor to the plan, Larimer County engaged a consultant, Brendle Group, to conduct the regional water Existing Conditions study and to facilitate work sessions and an open house to do initial visioning and goal setting. The Existing Conditions report and Executive Summary are below. The work from 2022 is foundational for the next stages of water planning. 

Larimer County Water Existing Conditions Report (6/6/2022)

Larimer County Water Existing Conditions Executive Summary

Task 2 - Vision and Goals Memo

Attachment A - County Staff Work Session Summary

Attachment B - Stakeholder Open House