Today, the Colorado Springs City Council approved an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with Fremont County related to the permitting process for the Southern Delivery System (SDS) through that county. The Fremont County Commission unanimously approved the agreement on April 8. “This is a positive step forward for the project,” said John Fredell, SDS Project Director for Colorado Springs. The Agreement establishes an orderly process for Colorado Springs to work with Fremont County on review of proposals and reimbursement of costs incurred by Fremont County for the review of permit applications. It also states the parties will work together to identify and develop a mitigation plan that the City will implement to address impacts in Fremont County if the project is constructed there. Colorado Springs and its partners in the project – Pueblo West, Fountain and Security – have proposed building the SDS pipeline from Pueblo Dam through Pueblo County. A pipeline through Fremont County is one of the alternatives (Highway 115 Alternative 7) being considered by the Bureau of Reclamation in its Draft Environmental Impact Statement for SDS. The Highway 115 Alternative still allows Colorado Springs and the other project participants to store untreated water in Pueblo Reservoir. For this alternative, water would be exchanged upstream from Pueblo Reservoir and then diverted from the Arkansas River near Florence through a 53-mile pipeline. Pueblo West would not participate in SDS if this alternative is chosen. “To ensure the best interests of our customers, Colorado Springs has been working with Fremont County to formalize a process for the permitting we would need to build the SDS pipeline through their County,” Fredell said. “This agreement is the result of those discussions. If we determine the Highway 115 Alternative is the best option for the Southern Delivery System, we want to have all the necessary permits in place so that we can begin construction once the Bureau issues a record of decision.” Now that the agreement has been approved, Colorado Springs Utilities expects to begin filing permit applications in Fremont County in the near future. The Bureau of Reclamation is expected to issue its Record of Decision for SDS early next year.
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