With five years of construction under its belt, the Southern Delivery System (SDS) project is concluding most major construction this year and has begun preparing for start up.

“We are approaching the finish line,” said John Fredell, SDS Program Director. “We are transitioning from the construction phase to the fine tuning phase and the end is in sight for Phase 1.”

The team overseeing the $829 million project, the largest infrastructure project ever undertaken by Colorado Springs Utilities, will continue evaluating the system to ensure its ready to deliver water next year.

A recent article in the Colorado Springs Gazette, "Eagerly Awaiting Testing" featured key project milestones met to date and what is ahead to bring this project to completion – on schedule and under budget.  Read full story.

Components Completed

• Pueblo Dam connection -- starting point for water to flow into the SDS pipeline.
• Completed June 2012

• Pipeline construction – 50 miles of underground pipe installed in Pueblo and El Paso counties.
• Completed April 2015

What’s Ahead

• Raw water pump stations – three raw water pump stations that will transport water 1,500 feet in elevation from Pueblo County to the water treatment plant in Colorado Springs will be completed this fall.
• Water treatment plant – an 82,000-square-foot water treatment plant capable of treating 50 million gallons of water per day will be done in February 2016.
• Preparing for operations – every step of the way, system parts are evaluated to ensure they are working properly and all of the elements work together as a unified delivery system.
• Water delivery – SDS will begin delivering water to customers of Colorado, Fountain, Security and Pueblo West in early 2016.