Fort Collins-Loveland Water District, intended to be the largest water buyer by far for a long-troubled $2 billion northern Colorado dam and pipeline complex, is dropping out of the project, officials confirmed Friday.

Northern Water, which is building the Northern Integrated Supply Project, or NISP, on behalf of 15 cities and water districts to supply decades of future need in fast-growing suburban areas, said it will continue business as usual and has not heard a direct cancellation from Fort Collins-Loveland.

Northern Water completed a $100 million environmental mitigation settlement with longtime opponents of the dam complex in February. Fort Collins-Loveland officials said at the time they were happy with the settlement and appeared committed to the project that spans the Cache la

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