Seaman EIS News

Two CO water supply projects will be evaluated separately
1/16/2015
The Omaha District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has determined that the Halligan and Seaman water supply projects will be separated and independently evaluated as the Halligan Water Supply Project...

Environmental Impact Statement - Seaman Water Supply Project

Summary:

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) was developing a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to disclose effects of the Milton Seaman Water Supply Project (Seaman Project). The City of Greeley (Greeley) had proposed expanding the existing Milton Seaman Reservoir to serve Greeley’s future water needs. In January 2019, Greeley asked the Corps to pause work on the EIS while they evaluated whether the proposed action and identified alternatives were affordable. In that process, Greeley identified a less damaging practicable and preferrable alternative to meet their future water needs. The Terry Ranch Aquifer Storage and Recovery Project is an alternative to Greeley’s proposed enlargement of the Milton Seaman Reservoir.  The Terry Ranch Project has fewer environmental impacts than the Seaman Project and requires minimal federal, state, and local permitting. It may not require a Department of the Army under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. In March 2021, the Greeley City Council unanimously approved the Terry Ranch Project. A subsequent referendum petition to overturn the City Council’s decision failed and on April 6, 2021, Greeley closed on the purchase of the Terry Ranch Project and therefore withdrew their proposal for the Seaman Project and requested that the Corps’ EIS and permitting process for the project be indefinitely suspended. While Greeley has not ruled out that Greeley will again seek to enlarge Milton Seaman Reservoir in the future, the timeline of such an enlargement would likely be many decades in the future. 

 

EIS Milestones Completed 
Publish Notice of Intent to Prepare Draft EIS Feb. 1, 2006
Public Scoping May 30, 2006
Proposal Withdrawn – Project Terminated April 8, 2021

 

This Environmental Impact Statement is not currently in a period of public comment.

The documents associated with it are currently being transitioned to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Headquarters Digital Library.

Once the transition is complete, the documents will be made available here.

EIS Milestones Completed 
Publish Notice of Intent to Prepare EIS Sept. 17, 2003
Public Scoping Nov. 7, 2003
Publish Notice of Availability of Draft EIS Oct. 30, 2009
Draft EIS Comments Due March 17, 2010
Publish Notice of Availability of Final EIS Projected Release February 2014*
Permit Decision Projected Decision Spring 2015*