Staff and counsel for the City of Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs Utilities and Pueblo County have prepared a draft Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) on future Colorado Springs stormwater program commitments for consideration by the Colorado Springs City Council and the Pueblo County Commissioners.

Under the proposed agreement, the City of Colorado Springs and Colorado Springs Utilities commit to spend a total of $460 million over 20 years, beginning this year. The commitments set forth in this agreement essentially replace a city Stormwater Enterprise that was defunded in 2009.

“Fixing the stormwater issues that we inherited stemming from the dissolution of the stormwater enterprise has been a top priority for me and the City Council,” said Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers. “Sustainable stormwater funding and management is not optional – it is something that we must do to protect our waterways, serve our downstream neighbors, and meet the legal requirements of a federal permit. It was for this reason that we reallocated funding in the existing City budget to address this vital need. It is gratifying to find a solution that meets the needs of the city, Colorado Springs Utilities and Pueblo County. This will go a long way in improving conditions on Fountain Creek and other water tributaries, and we believe it will also be a very positive step toward the resolution of issues raised by the EPA and the Department of Justice.”

The IGA covers the time period from 2016 through 2035 and identifies an agreed upon list of capital projects for construction in 2016 and subsequent years. The agreement calls for a minimum of $100 million to be spent in the first five years, $110 million in the second five years, $120 million in the next five years, and $130 million in the last five years. The contribution of Utilities to this funding starts at $3 million in the first year and increases over the years to approximately $3.9 million.

Additionally, Utilities will provide three annual payments of $1 million toward the City of Pueblo’s levee repair and improvement work with matching contributions from Pueblo. Utilities will cooperate with other stakeholders on developing a proportional formula for future funding of the Fountain Creek Watershed District’s administrative costs. The agreement also outlines regional cooperation on Fountain Creek water quality initiatives. 

“It is a core value for Colorado Springs Utilities to be a good steward of the environment. Our community has already invested in Fountain Creek and it is essential that as we meet our community’s water needs we continue to do so,” said Jerry Forte, CEO Colorado Springs Utilities.

Annual meetings between the engineering representatives of Pueblo County and Colorado Springs will take place to update the list of stormwater projects and the City will file an annual stormwater spending report with Pueblo County.

Next steps in the process include the Colorado Springs City Council and the Pueblo County Commissioners voting on the IGA, both of which are anticipated to occur during the last week of April.