Regional Pool
Leasing Water Through the Regional Pool Program
The Regional Pool Program provides Colorado-Big Thompson Project allottees a mechanism to lease water they do not need in the current water year to other water users for use in the following year. The program is administered pursuant to a rule adopted by the Northern Water Board of Directors in 2005 and modified June 2018. The Board can allocate water during its meetings from January to September.
2024 Regional Pool Program
The Northern Water Board of Directors allocated 15,000 acre-feet of Regional Pool Program (RPP) water during its May 9, 2024, Board meeting. RPP water is available for lease by eligible Northern Colorado water users, with sealed bids due 2 p.m. May 16, 2024. Bid prices per-acre-foot must be greater than or equal to $33, a floor price the Board selected based on the 2024 agricultural assessment rate. The allocation is split into two sub-pools.
- 7,500 acre-feet for water users from Horsetooth Reservoir (ie. Poudre River, Soldier Canyon Dam, Hansen Supply Canal and Dixon, etc.)
- 7,500 acre-feet from water users south of Horsetooth Reservoir (ie. Big Thompson, Little Thompson, St. Vrain, Boulder Creek, Hansen Feeder Canal, St. Vrain Supply Canal, etc.)
Bid Results
Bids will be opened in a public forum at Northern Water’s headquarters at approximately 2:10 p.m. on Thursday, May 16 in the South Platte Conference Room in Building H. Staff will award (pending any eligibility checks) the water based on the highest per-acre-foot bids. Winners will be notified within five business days. Payment is due no later than 10 business days after the bid opening, May 31.
Questions
- Water Scheduling, 970-292-2500, regionalpool@northernwater.org
- Sarah Smith, 970-622-2295
Previous Regional Pool Allocations
- 2024 - The Northern Water Board of Directors allocated 15,000 acre-feet of Regional Pool Program (RPP) water during its May 9, 2024, Board meeting. The allocation was split into two sub-pools.
- 7,500 acre-feet for water users from Horsetooth Reservoir (ie. Poudre River, Soldier Canyon Dam, Hansen Supply Canal and Dixon, etc.)
- 7,500 acre-feet from water users south of Horsetooth Reservoir (ie. Big Thompson, Little Thompson, St. Vrain, Boulder Creek, Hansen Feeder Canal, St. Vrain Supply Canal, etc.)
- 2023 - The Northern Water Board of Directors allocated 15,000 acre-feet of Regional Pool Program (RPP) water during its May 11, 2023, Board meeting. The allocation was split into two sub-pools.
- 7,500 acre-feet for water users from Horsetooth Reservoir (ie. Poudre River, Soldier Canyon Dam, Hansen Supply Canal and Dixon, etc.)
- 7,500 acre-feet from water users south of Horsetooth Reservoir (ie. Big Thompson, Little Thompson, St. Vrain, Boulder Creek, Hansen Feeder Canal, St. Vrain Supply Canal, etc.)
- 2022 - The Board of Directors did not allocate Regional Pool Program water in 2022.
- 2021 - The Board of Directors did not allocate Regional Pool Program water in 2021.
- 2020 - The Northern Water Board of Directors allocated 15,000 acre-feet of Regional Pool Program water during its May 14, 2020, Board meeting.
Regional Pool Program Documents
Regional Pool Program FAQS
Where does the Regional Pool Program water come from?
At the end of every water year on Oct. 31, account entities are allowed to carry over a portion of their unused C-BT Project water into the new water year. Unused water in excess of an account entities carryover limits accrue to the Regional Pool. If an account entity elects not to pay for the storage of carryover water, that water also accrues to the Regional Pool.
How and when is water allocated from the Regional Pool?
According to the Regional Pool Program rule, the Northern Water Board of Directors may allocate water from the Regional Pool only when C-BT Project reserves (as calculated in mid-November) exceed 200,000 acre-feet. The rule limits the size of Regional Pool allocations to 62,000 acre-feet per year. If the Board elects to make Regional Pool water available for lease, it may do so at any of its regularly scheduled monthly Board meetings starting in January. If the Board does not allocate all of the Regional Pool water in a given month, it can make more water available incrementally through September.
Who gets to use the Regional Pool water?
All Regional Pool water will be available through a competitive sealed bid process. Once it is allocated, water will be leased to qualified water users who submit the highest bid per acre-foot. Both C-BT Project allottees and non-allottees can lease water from the Regional Pool. Revenue generated by Regional Pool Program leases will ultimately be distributed back to the account entities that provided water to the pool.
How can the water be used?
Regional Pool Program water may only be leased for uses authorized by Northern Water and only within Northern Water’s boundaries. You do not have to be an allottee to bid on or use Regional Pool Program water.
Will the Regional Pool Program restrict an entity’s ability to lease its own C-BT Project water?
Absolutely not. The Board will continue to declare an annual quota to owners of C-BT Project allotment contracts. Allottees will continue to have the flexibility to lease all, or a portion, of their respective quota water to other water users within Northern Water boundaries.
Regional Pool Program History
Early in 2003, C-BT Project allottees and Northern Water staff began meeting to discuss ways to improve C-BT Project related programs’ effectiveness at meeting demands during long droughts. These meetings led to changes to the Annual Carryover Program and to the creation of the Carryover Capacity Transferability Program, which have both been used since 2004.
Discussions about the significance of the C-BT Project’s annual supplemental water supply also led to creation of the Regional Pool Program. Although the program was developed in 2005, Regional Pool Program water can only be allocated when C-BT Project storage exceeds a certain amount. The first allocation did not take place until these conditions were first met in 2010.