Thornton 1041 Application Not Good for Northern Colorado

[Brendan Condit]

Hello Mr. Kefalas,

This is Brendan Condit. I am a longtime Larimer County resident. I live here with my family in a home just north of Fort Collins city limits. There are many reasons we have chosen to live in Larimer County, but high on the list would be the thriving natural environment, and the way that it enriches our lives every single day. That's why I am writing to express my opinion that Thorton's 1041 pipeline permit application should be denied due to the significant detrimental impact to the Poudre River, and as a result, the regional natural environment, and the people who live and recreate nearby. 

Our land use code states clearly that applicants should avoid negative impacts to the County. Unfortunately, the proposed option of unnecessarily removing the water from the river far upstream (not using the so-called "Poudre River Option") harms both the natural environment and humans. 

Negative effects to the natural environment include (but are not limited to) making the river less hospitable for fish, harming nearby wetlands, and restricting the important flushing of sediment and mud down the river channel. 

Additionally, removing the water upstream will also negatively impact recreational use of the river and surrounding area, which is enjoyed by tens of thousands of Larimer County residents on a monthly basis. Failure to use the "Poudre River Option" will contribute to worse fishing, unnatural growth of algae, terrible smell, decline in the bordering tree canopy, decline in usability of whitewater park, and more.

The negative impacts cited above do not even include all the impacts of the construction of the proposed pipeline, which will significantly impact human and natural operation in those areas.

Minimally, given the clear incongruence between our land use code and impact of the proposed pipeline, it is abundantly clear that the permit should be denied. When you consider the fact that Thorton has a ready, easy, and no-harm alternative--represented by the "Poudre Rive Option"--this choice should be a no-brainer.

Thank you very much for your service to the Larimer County community, as well as your careful consideration of this matter of critical importance to the place we all call home. 

all the best,

Brendan Condit

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Brendan Condit
bco...@gmail.com
603.521.4243