Public comment reopened on pipeline project

A federal agency has reopened public comment on water quality issues in an environmental study of Colorado Springs' proposed $1 billion water pipeline project.

"We are still taking water quality comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement and will continue to take comments indefinitely," Bureau of Reclamation spokeswoman Kara Lamb said. "We are also performing an additional water quality analysis, which will augment the existing EIS."

Once the new analysis is completed, she said an additional 45-day public comment period will open for the new analysis only.
Lamb said the extra steps came after the agency received nearly 400 public comments on the Southern Delivery System, which would pipe water from Pueblo Reservoir to northeast Colorado Springs.

"We received comments with significant data indicating that we should respond," she said.

Among those was a statement from Pueblo Chieftain publisher Bob Rawlings, who expressed concern about pollution of Fountain Creek, which meets the Arkansas east of Pueblo.

Rep. Mark Udall, D-Eldorado Springs, who's running for the Senate seat held by retiring Republican Wayne Allard, urged the bureau in late June to slow the review, citing Rawlings' comments.

The public comment period closed June 13.

"His (Rawlings') comments, and others, really underscore the depth of concern that exists about the project and how it might affect water users throughout the Arkansas River basin," Udall wrote.

Udall's letter surprised and angered Springs officials.

Lamb wouldn't say whether the slowdown bodes ill for the project.

"I think this is all good news," she said. "This is exactly what the NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) process is designed to do. It helps fine tune the analysis."

She said the bureau's Record of Decision is still expected in early 2009.

Utilities spokeswoman Janet Rummel said it's not unusual for the bureau to reopen public comment. "This will make the process better," she said, "because it will make the analysis complete and more thorough, and that's what this is about."

The Draft EIS, its summary and related documents are at www.sdseis.com.

Send comments to Kara Lamb, Bureau of Reclamation, 11056 W. CR 18E, Loveland, CO  80537, or e-mail klamb@gp.usbr.gov or fax to 970-663-3212.

Contact the writer: 636-0238 or pam.zubeck@gazette.com