No, not today. The water rights for Barefoot Lakes were dedicated in 2005 and are being used for your community. Water is currently treated at the Carter Lake Filter Plant and reliably delivered. As a Title 32 Special District, LTWD is not only committed, but legally obligated, to continue providing water service to our customers, regardless of the outcome of any current planning discussions with the Town of Firestone.

Barefoot Lakes’ water supply comes from two sources:

• Colorado-Big Thompson (C-BT) water (23% of Barefoot’s supply)
• Windy Gap water, including a planned reuse component for long-term supply (77% of Barefoot’s supply)

The water rights dedicated by the Barefoot Lakes developer were sized to meet the projected full build-out. However, treatment and delivery infrastructure will need to expand to keep up with demand.

Water for Barefoot Lakes is currently treated at the Carter Lake Filter Plant and delivered through infrastructure managed by LTWD and its partner since 1967, Central Weld County Water District. The remaining treated supply required for future growth of Barefoot Lakes is planned to come from the St. Vrain Water Authority’s treatment plant, which we have been planning for since 2019.  Prior to 2019, LTWD planned on constructing its own water treatment plant at Barefoot Lakes. The St. Vrain Water Authority gave LTWD and Firestone the opportunity to share in water treatment plant construction and expansion costs.

The Windy Gap water rights fluctuate, meaning we cannot anticipate a steady supply from this water right every year. We are looking to improve the reliability of Windy Gap water by storing it in the Chimney Hollow Reservoir Project, a collaboration between 12 northeastern Colorado water providers to improve the reliability of water supplies from the Windy Gap Project.

One additional way we have planned to make the Windy Gap water meet the development needs of Barefoot Lakes is through reuse. After indoor, potable water is used, it is treated at the St. Vrain Sanitation District’s wastewater treatment plant, then returned to the St. Vrain Creek. The reuse of the Windy Gap water is intended to divert LTWD's water from the St. Vrain Creek and pipe it to the St. Vrain Water Authority, where the water will be treated and returned to LTWD’s water system for our customers’ use. This water is fully treated and safe for human consumption. Without this project, the water supply will be 83% of what it was intended. This could result in more frequent watering restrictions to balance the reduced supply.

We have been actively involved in the St. Vrain Water Authority since its formation in 2019. Within the authority’s agreement, LTWD is granted one seat on the board of directors. The purpose of the authority is to own and operate the St. Vrain Water Treatment Plant for the benefit of LTWD and the Town of Firestone.

The plant was designed and constructed by the Town of Firestone with the intention of transferring ownership to the St. Vrain Water Authority. The plant is currently constructed to produce up to 1.5 MGD (million gallons per day), LTWD currently has 0.25 MGD of capacity reserved. However, the design of the plant also anticipated future expansions to 2.25 MGD, 5 MGD and 10 MGD.

From the beginning of LTWD’s involvement in the authority, we have planned for a portion of the increased capacity to meet our projected growing demands for Barefoot Lakes in the next 10+ years. The original agreement was to work together with the Town of Firestone through the Authority to determine capacity needs on an annual basis and for the Authority to determine when expansion was appropriate.

The Town of Firestone contracted with an engineering firm to design the expansion of the water plant in January 2025 without including LTWD in initial planning. Despite existing agreements, this decision was not discussed at the St. Vrain Water Authority board level prior to Firestone contracting for the plant expansion. LTWD is advocating for inclusion now to ensure future capacity is equitably shared among the two members of the plant based on projected demand.

Yes. The developer of Barefoot Lakes dedicated enough water for the Barefoot Lakes customers, just like LTWD requires all developers to do for new communities. Barefoot Lakes currently includes approximately 1,200 residential and commercial taps, and is expected to grow to 3,800 at full build-out. The water rights dedicated by the Barefoot Lakes developer meet the projected demand at full build-out when it includes the treatment of the reuse of the Windy Gap water. The water that makes the Barefoot Lakes community’s water supply whole is already in place – it is the treatment of that water that needs to be secured, along with construction of the infrastructure to get it to LTWD in order to accommodate future demand. That’s why participating in the St. Vrain Water Treatment Plant expansion—or planning for alternatives—is critical.

If LTWD is not granted additional capacity, we will need to build a separate treatment facility—an expensive and time-consuming alternative. This could delay delivery of the reuse water associated with the Windy Gap water supply that the Barefoot Lakes developer dedicated and could require significant investment from ratepayers, such as rate increases and potentially more frequent watering restrictions.

No. The water rights dedicated by Barefoot Lakes are managed by LTWD to ensure delivery to the Barefoot Lakes community. Water is carefully allocated based on supply conditions and demand, and no reallocation has occurred.

For any service questions or billing inquiries, contact us at (970) 532-2096 or send us a message through our contact form. The Town of Firestone may separately bill for items like stormwater or street lighting, but your water provider is Little Thompson Water District.

Bookmark this page—we’ll post updates as they become available. You’re also welcome to attend upcoming LTWD Board of Directors or Town of Firestone Board of Trustees meetings and participate during public comment.