Utilities takes case for pipeline to Pueblo

PUEBLO •.Colorado Springs Utilities, hoping to overcome years of bad feelings with Pueblo over water issues, brought its case for the Southern Delivery System pipeline here Tuesday night.

Utilities officials say the proposed $1.1 billion pipeline from Pueblo Reservoir, which would carry 78 million gallons of water a day, is needed to supply water for future growth and to create needed redundancy in the city's water system. Colorado Springs owns the water rights, but Pueblo must approve a 1041 land-use permit, so called for the legislation that gives counties authority over multijurisdictional projects.

While numerous approvals are needed, Pueblo County represents one of the toughest hurdles, as evidenced by the many city and county officials in attendance Tuesday.

"We know and understand there are responsibilities with a project like that and we will live up to our responsibilities," Colorado Springs Mayor Lionel Rivera told Pueblo County officials. "We think it will have tremendous positive impacts for the citizens of both of our counties. I think you will find it is very compelling and great for all of southern Colorado."

More than 100 people attended the first of several parts of the public hearing, which is set against the backdrop of a long history of acrimony between Colorado Springs and Pueblo over water.

Colorado Springs filed suit against Pueblo County's authority over the project. Pueblo County's district attorney sued Colorado Springs over sewage spills into Fountain Creek.

Some who live along Fountain Creek blame Colorado Springs for flooding and poor water quality. The Pueblo Chieftain newspaper, a vocal critic of the pipeline, has galvanized opposition.

Pueblo County Commissioner Jeff Chostner, one of the three who will vote on the permit, accused Colorado Springs at a public forum last summer of "rapacious" growth during which it "lost its soul."

Utilities officials, in a two-hour presentation, tried to assure Pueblo officials that the drop in water levels in Pueblo Reservoir and the Arkansas River would be minor, and that Fountain Creek won't be seriously impacted.

Treated effluent from Colorado Springs would increase the flow of Fountain Creek by a third in Pueblo by the year 2046. Utilities hopes to offset that through the work of several groups, funded in part by Utilities, looking at solutions for the creek's problems.
Utilities officials said the greater flows will improve water quality by diluting the E. coli and selenium already in the creek, and that the flow won't exacerbate periodic flooding that occurs in Pueblo during big rainstorms upstream.

John Fredell, Utilities' project manager, touted the benefits to Pueblo County, including water for Pueblo West and construction jobs for the county.

"The Southern Delivery System is a big construction project. It's over a billion dollars, and what that really means in all of our communities is jobs, that's the bottom line," Fredell said.

After Utilities' presentation, consultant Paul Banks of Lakewood-based Banks and Gesso LLC, hired by Pueblo County to review the application, told commissioners they should establish conditions for approval of the project.

"The language needs to be tightened up so it's clear, enforceable, and there are areas of mitigation they did not address," Banks said.

Among the many recommendations, the most significant and the most unknown relate to Fountain Creek. Banks said Pueblo County should require Utilities to commit to spend a fixed amount of money on improving Fountain Creek. He noted the pipeline plan from Pueblo Reservoir is at least $150 million cheaper than Utilities' alternative, which involves a pipeline from the Arkansas River in Fremont County.

Speaking before Banks gave his recommendations, Fredell said Utilities is amenable to compromises, but there will be sticking points. For example, Utilities doesn't agree with the recommendation that it be required to ask Pueblo for approval to sell Southern Delivery System water to another agency.

"We're confident we can develop these mitigations together, if that's what you want to do. Our staff is ready to get started on it," Fredell said.