Eagle River Coalition Announces Opposition to Aurora Water’s Wild Horse Reservoir Application as Submitted: A 19th-century solution to a 21st-century problem — Matt Moseley

From email from Matt Moseley:

November 12, 2026 — The Eagle River Coalition announced its opposition to Aurora Water’s application to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) for its proposed 95,000-acre-foot Wild Horse Reservoir in Park County, arguing that too many questions remain about the project’s water sources and potential impacts on Homestake Creek, the Eagle River, and the Colorado River Basin.

Of particular concern is the amount of water the project may require from the Homestake system and the potential consequences for an already heavily diverted watershed. In a recent interview with the Vail Daily, Aurora Water acknowledged that it was “difficult to provide specifics” about how much Homestake water would be needed for Wild Horse.

“That is precisely the problem,” said Vicki Flynn, executive director of the Eagle River Coalition. “If Aurora Water cannot provide specifics about how much water it needs from Homestake Creek, how can CDPHE adequately evaluate the project’s impacts? Our rivers and communities deserve clear answers before a project of this scale moves forward. The application, as currently submitted, should be rejected.”

A growing coalition, such as the Vail Valley Partnership, is calling on CDPHE to reject the application and require a complete accounting of the project’s water sources, the volume and timing of proposed diversions, potential changes to existing transmountain diversion operations, and cumulative impacts on streamflows and downstream communities.

The Eagle River Coalition recognizes the importance of long-term water planning but believes new storage proposals must be evaluated transparently and with full consideration of impacts to the rivers and communities that sustain the Western Slope.

“This is a 19th-century solution to a 21st-century problem,” said Flynn.

The public comment period closes November 19, 2026. The Coalition encourages residents, businesses and river users to submit comments to CDPHE at cdphe_df_wqcd@state.co.us with the subject line WHS PN Comments.