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Approach

VISION – A Quality Community

In 2020, the city of Thornton adopted a new Comprehensive Plan to guide Thornton’s vision and expectations for its future. Within this Plan, Thornton made a commitment to secure a reliable, clean and safe water supply for our residents and businesses. And that is why the city acquired water shares in the Water Supply and Storage Company in the mid-1980s and obtained water court approval of our plan to bring the water resources needed to achieve our Comprehensive Plan for Thornton’s future.

MISSION – Securing Thornton's Water Future

In order to achieve Thornton’s objective to provide a reliable supply of water to meet the needs of its current community and to prepare for the City’s future residents and businesses, the City is building a pipeline and related facilities to deliver the water acquired in the mid-1980’s to our community in a timely, efficient, cost effective, and environmentally responsible manner.

VALUES – Implementation of a model agricultural to municipal water development that benefits the City as well as the agricultural community

…the following values have been, and will continue to be, reflected in how the City approaches implementing the Thornton Water Project:

  • Protecting the agricultural community through a responsible farm management program to transition irrigated land to established non-irrigated native grasses over an extended period.
  • Ensuring that when the City delivers its share of water out of the Water Supply and Storage Company system, the water rights of the remaining shareholders will not be injured.
  • Continued commitment to be leaders in the efficient use of the City’s water resources now and into the future.
  • Continued commitment to be a good neighbor in the management of our farms and to be a responsible partner in sustaining local communities.
  • Continued commitment to support local businesses and the area’s agriculture businesses.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

The principles that guide implementation of the project are:

  • Open communication and collaboration with neighboring communities, property owners, public officials and others to find common-sense solutions that are financially responsible and achievable.
  • Design and construction of the project in a timely and efficient manner that, when possible, avoids, or minimizes, the impact to the environment and neighboring communities.
  • A commitment to return the farm properties to private ownership in a manner that is in keeping with the respective jurisdictional master plans that apply to the properties; and if the property remains in agriculture, to return the property to private ownership in a manner that allows the property to be combined with other properties or utilized in a manner that contributes to the agricultural economy.