This satellite office located in Ault is tasked with the planning and management associated with Thornton’s ownership of 18,751 acres of agricultural property in Larimer and Weld Counties. Local residents partner with Thornton to farm, graze and steward these properties, which continue to be significant contributors to agricultural production and the local economies. To learn more about how these lands are managed and how they continue to benefit the people and economy of Larimer and Weld counties click on the button below.
Learn More at ThorntonCO.govThornton is also partnering with local communities to plan for the future of these properties. The Northern Properties Stewardship Plan is a vision for the management and future land use of the properties Thornton owns in Weld and Larimer Counties. This plan was informed by the long-term plans of communities and Weld and Larimer Counties, the economic and social interests of regional and local stakeholders, and farmer engagement. The plan was adopted by Thornton City Council in April of 2024, and implementation is ongoing.
Learn More at ThorntonCO.govOpen Lands Conservation. As a part of its Larimer County 1041 application, Thornton committed to conserve over 1,300 acres of land comprised of six Thornton-owned farms in Larimer County. Thornton will coordinate with Larimer County to manage, conserve, and divest of these properties in a manner that is consistent with Thornton’s Water Court Decree and the conservation objectives identified in Larimer County’s Open Lands Master Plan. Thornton will then work to transfer the ownership of these farms back into local hands – either private or public. This could be accomplished in a variety of ways, for example, by placing conservation easements on the farms which could be held by Larimer County, then selling the property to a local producer subject to the conservation easement.
Thornton Agricultural Stewardship Office Revegetation Map [PDF/ 72 KB]
Irrigation Canal Structures. Thornton is working closely with the Water Supply and Storage Company (WSSC) to ensure that the agricultural uses within WSSC are protected. Thornton is partnering with WSSC to make infrastructure improvements to the irrigation system that will ensure that WSSC agricultural shareholders will continue to receive their water deliveries.
Groundwater Recharge Facilities. Thornton is designing and building recharge facilities that will help maintain the groundwater table for agricultural well users near Thornton’s farms in Weld County.
Water for Agriculture. Since 2003, Thornton has leased over 80,000 acre-feet of water to the Central Colorado Water Conservancy District (Groundwater Management Sub-district and Well Augmentation Sub-district) for operation of an augmentation plan for irrigation wells in Weld County. The water that Thornton has leased to Central, and continues to lease to Central each year, allows farmers higher pumping quotas for their operations than without the leases.