Greeley secures federal funding for water pipeline project with help from Rep. Gabe Evans

Added: 2026-05-26

[00:00:00]And of course, we have needed all of this rain, but too much could pose a threat to burn scars and to drinking water.

[00:00:05]>> We've been following efforts to create a multi-million dollar project to protect our drinking water after fires. As your Northern Colorado reporter Dylan Thomas shows us, that project had to clear hurdles in Washington first.

[00:00:17]For years now, I have been covering the after-effects of the state's largest fire ever, the Cameron Peak fire, which burned more than 200,000 acres in 2020.

[00:00:26]Sure, the damage done at the time was tragic, but the fire still has lasting impacts to this day. Now, thanks to federal money, impacts to drinking water are going to be slightly less worrisome for Greeley. We have been working for a number of years since the Cameron Peak fire to add infrastructure to make our system more resilient in the face of fire and particularly in post-fire flooding. That's because the sediment from the charred mountainsides, to this day, can make its way into the Big Thompson River, one of the two rivers Greeley relies on for drinking water, which is why >> we've been pursuing a very large capacity interconnection pipeline. It's called the Gold Hill pipeline. In Greeley, 59th Avenue serves as a rough divider. To the west of it, water comes from the Big Thompson River. To the east, it largely comes from the Poudre River. The city wants to build a pipeline that connects the two so it can be interchanged when one river is impacted by sediment, but the project needed federal funds. Representative Evans' office really championed that for us. Being able to bring those federal tax dollars back to the community is critical because a lot of times local communities don't have the resources all on their own to be able to fund these big pieces of infrastructure. But the funding was caught up for months as Congress debated over funding the Department of Homeland Security, but now it's finally approved. The single largest appropriation specifically for one congressional district within the DHS bill. So much of what goes on in Washington, D.C. shouldn't be partisan.

[00:01:53]This is basic infrastructure, basic quality of life for folks.

[00:01:56]>> So we're tremendously grateful. It's a really important project. The city says it needs FEMA permits approved, but otherwise, they're ready to break ground right now.

[00:02:05]I'm Dylan Thomas covering Colorado first.

[00:02:08]Dylan, thank you so much. Dylan is your reporter for stories in northern Colorado neighborhoods. So, reach out through cbs4colorado.com, call 303-863-TIPS, or email your [email protected].