Larimer County outlines Water Master Plan implementation, hires natural resources coordinator and plans groundwater study

Leslie Ellis, director of Community Planning, Infrastructure and Resources, presented an update on Larimer County’s Water Master Plan at the March 2 work session, summarizing implementation steps taken since the plan’s December 2024 adoption and near‑term projects aimed at bolstering water security.

Ellis told commissioners the plan, which the board adopted as a component of the county comprehensive plan, focuses on watershed health, land‑use alignment and long‑term regional water security. “The plan outlines our role in supporting conservation, protecting watershed health, collaborating with stakeholders to ensure long term regional water security,” she said. The county leads about half of the plan’s 10 strategies and supports the rest through partnerships across departments and local organizations.

Work under way and planned: county staff listed actions including recent land‑use and building‑code changes (nonfunctional turf standards, wildfire‑resilient building code), conservation easements (four completed last year tied to water rights), and development of water‑sharing agreements with agricultural stakeholders through the Climate Smart / Future Ready group. Ellis said the county is exploring modeling tools to identify lands where buy‑and‑dry avoidance measures could be most effective and noted ongoing stream restoration and stormwater quality outreach.

Groundwater study and staffing: commissioners were told the county has grant funding and a scoped groundwater study intended to begin mid‑year and run into next year to establish baseline conditions useful for many planning purposes, including assessment of potential data center impacts. Scott Benson said the study scope is flexible depending on available data. Carrie Weiner introduced Jenna Breager, the county’s new natural resources coordinator in Extension; Breager said she will support small‑acreage site visits, native‑plant programming and coordination with agricultural stakeholders.

Policy and legislative context: Commissioner Kristen Stevens raised House Bill 26 11 45 (Mobile Home Park Water Quality) and suggested the county consider engagement; staff discussed coordinating with the state and local partners on water‑quality and equity issues. Staff also previewed a Livermore community town hall on Steinhoff Hill conservation scheduled for March 12 and asked commissioners for digital copies of the slides.

Next steps: staff will share the Water Master Plan slides with commissioners, begin the groundwater study later this year and continue coordination with agricultural partners, the Colorado Water Conservation Board and other regional organizations.