The man most people in northern Colorado can thank for almost every drop of water they drink died Monday.

W.D. "Bill" Farr, 97, died at his home in Greeley about a week after suffering a stroke.

He was born in May 1910. The grandson of a blacksmith, Farr was part of a ranching family that first came to Greeley in 1876.

Farr was the driving force behind the Big Thompson water project, which drilled a tunnel under the Continental Divide and brought Western Slope water to the Front Range.

"He was a pillar of the cattle business in Colorado," said University of Colorado President Hank Brown.

"He was also a real visionary when it came to water," Brown added. "Probably few people in the state's history did as much to advance water storage as Bill Farr."

Farr was keenly aware of the importance of irrigated water to agriculture. His family helped dig an irrigation ditch between Loveland and Greeley.

As a young man, he joined farmers and businessmen to create what became known as the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District, and served as chairman for 40 years.

In 1937, voters approved the project, which called for pumping water through a 13-mile tunnel to Estes Park. World War II slowed the project, which delivered its first water in 1957.

Farr also was instrumental in the Windy Gap water project, which was completed in 1985. Eric Wilkinson, the district's general manager, credited Farr with resolving many of the conflicts and controversies that sprang up during that project's development.

"People trusted him," Wilkinson said.

There was a reason for that, Brown explained.

"He set a standard for integrity in business that few have ever equalled," Brown said. "If you had his word, you didn't need a contract. He bought and sold millions of dollars' worth of cattle simply on the basis of his word."

Farr also generously supported the community, making donations to the Boy Scouts and the University of Northern Colorado.

Sometimes it was the smallest thing that mattered. Greeley Mayor Tom Selders cherishes a short note Farr sent him a few years ago, praising him for the job he was doing as mayor.

Farr was honored in January 1999 as the National Western Stock Show's Citizen of the West.

As word of his death spread Monday, praise for his lifelong efforts came from people such as Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar, who described Farr as "a personal hero of mine and of the West."

"He was a giant of Colorado water and he spent countless hours teaching me the lessons of Colorado's water history," Salazar said in a written statement. "W.D. has left an indelible mark on Colorado and on the West, and his spirit will continue to grace us forever."

In a 1999 interview with the Rocky Mountain News, Farr acknowledged that the water projects would be his legacy.

"Of all that I've done, I'm still proudest of the water," he said. "It's here in perpetuity. In 500 years, people will still benefit from it."

Farr's wife of 64 years died in 1996. The couple had four sons. Services are pending. The Greeley Tribune reported that a service probably will be held at the Union Colony Civic Center sometime next week.

ensslinj@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5291