A watershed is an area of land containing streams and rivers that drain into a single body of water, such as a larger river or lake. Natural or human impacts on the water and surrounding land affect water quality within a watershed.

The Big Thompson River, flowing from Rocky Mountain National Park to the South Platte River near Greeley, a primary source of water for Loveland; nearly all of our service area lies within the Big Thompson Watershed.

Loveland Water and Power supports the protection and improvement of water quality within our watershed through collaborative monitoring, assessment, education and outreach. This work enables us to identify water quality trends and provide valuable information about protecting LWP’s water sources.

The Colorado-Big Thompson Project (CBT) moves water from the  Colorado River (west of the Continental Divide) to the Big Thompson River (east of the divide), and is the largest trans-mountain water project in the state.

80% of Colorado's annual precipitation falls west of the Continental Divide, while 80% of the state's population lives east of the divide (including Loveland). Moving water across the divide to reservoirs on the Front Range is critical for supplying enough water to Front Range residents.

There are many components of the CBT project: canals, dams, pumps and tunnels. The most important piece of CBT infrastructure is the Alva B. Adams Tunnel, completed in 1947, running for 13.1 miles in a straight line under the Continental Divide.

These seasonal reports document the quality of the source water entering our water system from the Colorado-Big Thompson Project (CBT).

Here are our last 12 months of reports:

• Big Thompson River Watershed Source Water Quality Conditions - Spring 2024
• Big Thompson River Watershed Source Water Quality Conditions - Fall 2023
• Big Thompson River Watershed Source Water Quality Conditions - Summer 2023

These annual reports provide a comprehensive annual summary of the quality of the source water entering our water system from the Colorado-Big Thompson Project (CBT):

• Big Thompson River Source Water Quality - 2023 Annual Report
• Big Thompson River Source Water Quality - 2022 Annual Report

Loveland Water and Power's water system interconnects with two neighboring water systems – Little Thompson Water District and Fort Collins-Loveland Water District.

These interconnections provide a redundant or alternate water supply in case of an emergency or during maintenance shutdowns. In 2021 we purchased less than 1% of its total water use from Little Thompson Water District and Fort Collins-Loveland Water District.

Both districts publish their own information on source water and the Source Water Assessment Program (SWAP) in annual Drinking Water Quality Reports. If you have questions about water quality data from either district, please contact those entities directly for more information:

• Little Thompson Water District purchases water from Carter Lake Filter Plant, which uses water from Carter Lake Reservoir. (970) 532-2096 .
• Fort Collins-Loveland Water District purchases water from Tri Districts/Soldier Canyon Filter Plant and the City of Fort Collins. Soldier Canyon Filter Plant and the City of Fort Collins use water from the Poudre River and Horsetooth Reservoir. (970) 226-3104.

Additionally, water quality data from communities throughout the United States are available here:

EPA’s Drinking Water Data and Reports

CDPHE Primary Drinking Water Regulations

The Cameron Peak and East Troublesome Fires in 2020 impacted multiple watersheds in Northern Colorado, including approximately 12% (65,275 acres) of the Big Thompson Watershed. The fire crept within five miles of the City of Loveland and the Water Treatment Plant, which remained fully operational with no interruption in treatment. 

Wildfires can negatively impact water quality for years after a fire. In 2020 we reported minimal impacts on Loveland’s water supply, though our water quality experts did detect higher levels of phosphorus, nitrogen, arsenic, lead, manganese, magnesium, iron, nickel, sulfate and turbidity in the source water. We removed those impurities during the water treatment process and observed no elevations in the water delivered to our residents.

We partnered with the City of Greeley and the Big Thompson Watershed Coalition to cover a large area of the burned watershed with wood mulch. Mulch is a ground cover that stabilizes soil, preventing it from eroding into rivers and lakes while reducing the risk of flooding. Mulching efforts are expected to continue into 2022. We also collaborated with the United States Geological Survey in 2022 to develop predictive models that determine how the quality of water entering the treatment plant changes.