From The Pueblo Chieftain (Chris Woodka):
Other agencies concerned with the impact of the Southern Delivery System on Fountain Creek are awaiting their chance to provide input in the face of new offers by Colorado Springs.
“I think the mayor (John Suthers) is being more realistic about how to address the problem,” said Steve Nawrocki, president of the Pueblo City Council. “What they first came to us with was $19 million for one year, so this is an improvement. I’m not sure it will be enough. We haven’t had a chance to talk about it as a council.”
In January, council unanimously approved a resolution asking that a $500 million backlog in Colorado Springs stormwater projects be addressed within 10 years, and Suthers came close to that over 20 years. Suthers indicated the number was reached during negotiations with Pueblo County, led by Commissioner Terry Hart.
Hart Tuesday said he was surprised at how Suthers had broken the news to media, but said many of the figures he presented are close to what has been discussed.
“There are also things we want in the agreement, but have not made public,” Hart said.
Nawrocki argued that the city of Pueblo should have a seat at the table in the current negotiations between Pueblo County and Utilities.
“I think the county has been pretty secretive in the way they’ve gone about it,” Nawrocki said.
Jay Winner, general manager of the Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District, agrees that there should be more openness in writing and enforcing any agreement.
He would like an outside agency, such as the Fountain Creek Watershed Flood Control and Greenway District, to review the list of 73 critical projects as well as the county in order to determine benefit to Pueblo and other downstream communities.
Pueblo County has hired Wright Water Engineers to evaluate the benefits, but as the Environmental Protection Agency’s audit of Colorado Springs’ stormwater permit showed, one set of eyes might not be enough, Winner said.
“I have more faith in John Suthers than I did in Steve Bach,” Winner said, referring to the current and previous mayors of Colorado Springs. Bach opposed a regional drainage district that voters rejected, while Suthers has actively worked to find solutions. “But everyone is term-limited. There needs to be a third party with technical expertise.”
Larry Small, executive director of the Fountain Creek district, says it’s in a chicken-and-egg situation, awaiting funding for both flood control projects and the day-to-day operation of the district.
The district is continuing its studies of what kind of flood control structures would be built and the location, but needs funding to move that work along. Small, who was vice president of Colorado Springs City Council when Pueblo County’s 1041 permit for SDS was issued, contends the first of five $10 million payments to the district is past due.
“The longer it takes them to reach an agreement, the longer it takes for us to begin work,” Small said.