From KUNC:
New building permits are on hold in the fast-growing town of Severance, after the North Weld County Water District imposed a moratorium on new water taps. The district, which is the only provider of treated water for Severance, cited uncertainties over construction delays for a small pipeline project. The moratorium is also affecting other nearby communities in Northern Colorado, including Eaton.
From The Greeley Tribune (Christopher Wood |):
Severance — with a population approaching 8,000 and representing the fastest-growing community in Northern Colorado — includes two water service areas, one administered by the town and the other by North Weld. Wharton said that when the town had to impose its moratorium, 37 building permits that were in process had to be halted, with another 110 permits in the town’s service area subsequently affected.
But that’s only the beginning of the impact on the town’s building activity. Wharton said that in North Weld’s service area within the town, “There are hundreds of additional permits that need to be pulled that they’re holding up because they won’t give their water.”
The moratorium has affected both national and local home builders, Wharton said, including D.R. Horton, Richmond American Homes, Richfield Homes and Horizon View Homes…
1041 regulations blamed
The North Weld County Water District serves Ault, Eaton, Galeton, Gill, Lucerne, Nunn and Pierce, along with portions of Fort Collins, Greeley, Timnath and Windsor.
At issue — at least in part — for the district are so-called 1041 regulations — named for Colorado House Bill 1041, passed in 1974 — which allow local governments to exercise greater control over certain land-use projects, such as water pipelines.
Fort Collins initiated a process to write 1041 regulations, in part to exercise greater control over Northern Water’s planned $1.1 billion Northern Integrated Supply Project, known as NISP, and the city late last fall considered a moratorium on new projects while the new 1041 regulations are written.
But city staff found that another, smaller pipeline project also would be affected, a water-transmission pipeline — known as the NEWT 3 Pipeline — being constructed by the North Weld County Water District and the East Larimer County Water District.
The pipeline would run 5.3 miles from North Timberline Road in Fort Collins east into Larimer County.
District representatives and Fries spoke at an Oct. 19, 2021, Fort Collins City Council meeting, requesting that NEWT 3 be exempted from the moratorium, and the Fort Collins council agreed.
But North Weld subsequently announced that it would extend its tap moratorium until Dec. 13, 2021, citing continued uncertainty surrounding the 1041 process in Larimer County, which imposed a nine-month moratorium on all 1041 permit applications while it worked to update those regulations.
Larimer County’s moratorium was extended until Feb. 15, and North Weld in December extended its moratorium on new taps until May 31.