Clean water project in Colorado on hold due to ICE debate in D.C.

Northern Colorado is rapidly growing and so too is the demand for reliable drinking water. However, an effort to further secure clean water for the City of Greeley is currently held up due to Congress and disagreements over funding the federal government.

A project known as the "Gold Hill Pipeline" would help assure Greeley Water customers have clean drinking water even if fires or natural disasters impact their two water sources. Currently, after storms, Greeley Water is having to combat issues with sediment and debris in their water because of the Cameron Peak Fire and East Troublesome Fire of 2020.

"We never expected the wildfire season we had in 2020, and they tend to follow big drought years," said Sean Chambers, Greeley's Director of Water and Sewer Utilities.

With the current winter season featuring more than 30 days above 60 degrees, some worry the 2026 wildfire season could be just as bad as that of 2020.

"With the drought we have this year we anticipate the potential for another large fire season and the need for a resilient water system," Chambers said.

Greeley Water utilizes water from the Poudre and Big Thompson rivers. By diversifying their water between two rivers, the hope was that they would always have reliable water.

"We thought it to be almost untouchable in resiliency terms," Chambers said.

However, after the 2020 fires impacted both rivers, Greeley set out to try and find a way to build resiliency in their system. That is when the Gold Hill Pipeline was envisioned and designed, connecting their two water stations to assure everyone in Greeley can have clean water after a storm or natural disaster.

The project is expected to cost more than $21 million, with a proposed pipeline to connect the system running on the western edge of Greeley. Pumps would allow water from either source to be exchanged in Greeley's system and to their partners.

Greeley has already secured $12 million of the $21 million needed to build the pipeline, and was leaning on the federal government to help match the rest of the funding.

Rep. Gabe Evans, a Republican who represents Colorado's 8th Congressional District, was able to get funds secured through the House of Representatives by creating an earmark in a proposed spending bill. Evans labeled the project for a "pre-disaster mitigation" grant under FEMA, which is under the budget for the Department of Homeland Security.

However, the Trump administration's immigration enforcement actions led some senators, including Colorado's Sen. Michael Bennet, a Democrat, to vote no on some of the funding for DHS. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which has been the center of nationwide protests, is under DHS just as FEMA is.

Therefore, the Gold Hill Pipeline's funding has not been approved by the U.S. Senate and rather caught in the middle over a debate over immigration enforcement.

"We've been struggling to be patient and watch it make its way through the process," Chambers said. "We see water as a really non-partisan non-political issue. It is fundamental to the quality of life and the economy of all Coloradans."

Greeley Water is shovel-ready, meaning within 60 days of funding being secured they can begin construction. Chambers said the goal was to have the project completed by summer of 2026 when threat of wildfires and storms increases along their watershed.

"If the money were to go through right now, you could have this ready for the fire season?" asked CBS Colorado's Dillon Thomas.

"That is right," Chambers said.

"The folks in DC need to have some difficult conversations. We are very hopeful, in the end, the FEMA budget will be approved as part of a DHS budget for fiscal year 26 and we will be able to move forward," Chambers said.

In a statement issued to CBS Colorado, Evans said he will continue to try and secure the funding as Congress continues to finalize budget negotiations.

"I was proud to secure funding for the Greeley Gold Hill Pipeline project in the DHS appropriations bill to strengthen Northern Colorado's water resiliency and protect families, farmers and ranchers during emergencies. This critical infrastructure will reduce disaster risk, safeguard our food supply, and ensure my constituents have access to clean, treated water when it's needed most. I encourage my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to stand with me and Northern Colorado to move this vital investment forward," Evans wrote.

A spokesperson for Bennet's office said, "Senator Bennet voted against the appropriations package that included funding for the Department of Homeland Security, because it failed to include meaningful guardrails to rein in its cruel and inhumane activities. Despite the bill including funding for the Gold Hill Project – and other important Colorado projects – he could not vote yes on final passage."

"We look forward to being able to build this thing and keep communities resilient in Northern Colorado," Chambers said.