Little Thompson Water District acquires water from the Colorado-Big Thompson Project, Windy Gap project and local ditch companies to provide water for our 10,000 residential and 400 non-residential customers. We seek out multiple water sources to provide redundancy in case of droughts, fires or other infrastructure problems.

Based on projected use within the system, LTWD plans for water supplies to provide:

• Annual water needs from customers
• Drought protection: adequate water supply in the event of a prolonged (up to 5 years) drought

Native Water

LTWD has two raw water infrastructure projects in the works designed to provide access to diverse water sources to strengthen our water portfolio. Horrocks has been retained by the District to assist with planning, design, landowner coordination and possible easement purchase activities related to these raw water infrastructure buried pipelines. If you have any questions or comments about these projects, please contact Horrocks at info@littletwaterlineprojects.com.

H2 Infrastructure Project

LTWD owns shares in the Consolidated Home Supply Ditch and the Handy Ditch Company, water rights that were strategically acquired to support long-term growth in the District’s service area. The H2 Project will put those decades-in-the-making plans into motion by constructing a pump station between two reservoirs—each owned by one of the ditch companies—and installing approximately four miles of pipeline. This infrastructure will allow LTWD’s water rights to be conveyed to Dry Creek Reservoir, and from there to the Carter Lake Filter Plant for treatment and delivery to customers.

The H2 project will assist with delivering diversified Eastern slope water supply sources and reduce the District's reliance on the Western Slope C-BT project. Raw water delivered from the H2 project will be treated by LTWD's existing facilities. The H2 project will construct a pump station and a pipeline to deliver native water supplies to Dry Creek Reservoir.

Construction of the project is planned for completion in 2028.

RFO Project

As part of LTWD’s water rights management, some water must be returned to the Little Thompson River for irrigation. While historically, this water has been done through groundwater contributions, LTWD is planning a pump station and pipeline from Dry Creek Reservoir to the river, with completion expected in 2028.

LTWD’s use of native East Slope water through the H2 project requires return of water through the RFO project to replicate historic agricultural practices and protect downstream users. The RFO project will construct a pump station and a pipeline to deliver water from Dry Creek reservoir to the Little Thompson River.

Visit the project website to learn about the H2 and RFO projects and to view progress. Please note, this website is maintained by Horrocks.

Second Use Project: Windy Gap

In 2005, LTWD began acquiring Windy Gap water rights to enhance water supply for the Barefoot Lakes subdivision. Windy Gap units provide a wholly consumable water source, meaning the water can be reused after its initial use.

LTWD plans to utilize this second-use water — water that has been used within the District’s service area, treated at a wastewater plant, and returned to the river — to serve the southern portion of our District including, the Barefoot Lakes subdivision. This approach supports efficient water management, allowing LTWD to serve additional customers. The second use project is intended to transfer LTWD's wholly consumable water from the St. Vrain River to the St. Vrain Water Authority.