Portal Park Pump Station

Update

The final piece of the Portal Park Pump Station construction will be complete the week of September 18, when Springs Utilities begins operating the new station. The station will transfer water from one pressure zone to another, thereby maximizing local water flows. The pump station is located at 3531 N. Hancock Ave., approximately six blocks north of Fillmore.

With the change in water operations, some customers may temporarily notice that their drinking water has a slightly different taste and/or color. This is due to pump station startup which will cause stirring of sediment. Sediment normally occurs in water pipes. The sediment does not represent a health hazard, though it may impact the aesthetic qualities (color/odor) of the drinking water.

Approximately 8,900 customers will receive a notice the week of Sept. 11 alerting them to the line flushing event, which will remove sediment in the lines. Flushing will occur at night and during pump station startup. Customers are being advised to:

• Use all indoor conservation efforts during this time which will assist us in our flushing operations.
• Call 448-4800, if they notice discoloration or odor, longer than 24 hours.
• Minimize hot water usage to avoid having to flush hot water tanks.
• Minimize laundry to avoid sediment in clothes.
• Shut off ice machines to prevent filter build-up or sediment in ice.

Background

Customers along the Templeton Gap floodway, just south of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, have probably noticed construction underway in their area on a new water pump station. The Portal Park Pump Station project is designed to maximize the use of our local water supplies and transfer water from one service area to another to meet customer demands.

In addition to transferring water to the area where it's needed, the $2.1 million project will provide several other benefits as well.

• Improve the use of existing water rights
• Fulfill the terms and conditions of the Blue River Decree, which states that the use of local water supplies must be maximized
• Draw an additional four-to-six million gallons of water a day during non-summer months from local resources. That’s equivalent to filling an Olympic-size pool six-to-seven times daily.
  Improve overall water system reliability.

The Portal Park project is just one component of an overall plan to move water and improve reliability to an area that has increasing customer demand. Total, 11 transfer options were screened for water pressure impacts, water quality, system reliability, construction and traffic impacts, environmental and permitting impacts, and a cost-benefit analysis. The Portal Park Pump Station option best met the needs for this project.

The pump station is scheduled to begin operations in mid-September.