Mitigation around Greeley鈥檚 water supply has been costly. So far, the tab for keeping Greeley鈥檚 water supply clear of soot and ash is around $1.2 million.
That number shouldn鈥檛 go any higher, thanks to a bill Congress passed this spring to .
Greeley has been reimbursed another $350,000 in federal funds for water mitigation after the High Park and Hewlett Gulch fires. The that brings the city鈥檚 total reimbursement to $576,000.
The mitigation process involves to keep ash and debris from slipping off scorched hillsides and into the water supply. Greeley water officials expected the mitigation to be expensive 鈥� more than $1,000 per acre.
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Last fall, the three water districts in Weld and Larimer counties, and the cities of Greeley and Fort Collins agreed to share the cost of keeping water in the Poudre River clean. Stakeholders paid a combined total of $4 million to treat the most damaged areas 鈥� only about half of what was needed.
This year the rest of the tab 鈥� about $7 million 鈥� will be picked up by the federal government. Fort Collins and the tri-districts are also being reimbursed.
