Nearly 50 years ago, leaders from several Northern Colorado communities recognized that this area was on steady track toward growth.

At that time, the newly built Interstate 25 north of Denver had no trouble bearing all of the north Front Range traffic on its four lanes of concrete. Community edges were easy to see because of the large number of farms that separated them.

Leaders from Loveland, Longmont, Estes Park, Greeley, Fort Collins and Boulder recognized that as new residents moved to their communities, the need for year-round, uninterrupted water would become ever greater. In response, they formed the Municipal Subdistrict in the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District – now known simply as Northern Water – to acquire water rights on the Western Slope.

Read more at The Loveland Reporter-Herald.