Mayor Rivera says Draft Environmental Impact Statement “important step forward”

The Draft Environmental Impact Statement on the Southern Delivery System (SDS) released February 29 by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is “an important step toward making this critical project a reality,” says Lionel Rivera, Mayor of Colorado Springs. “We need the Southern Delivery System. Our future depends on it.”

Release of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement begins a 60-day public review and comment period, and Rivera encouraged Colorado Springs residents to review the document and offer their support for SDS.

SDS is a regional pipeline project to bring water from the Arkansas River to Colorado Springs, using water rights already owned by the city and its project partners – Fountain, Security and Pueblo West.

The Draft Environmental Impact Statement includes seven alternatives to deliver water to Colorado Springs and the region. Reclamation identified the Participants’ Proposed Action, or Alternative 2, as the “preferred alternative” in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement. The proposed action would bring water to Colorado Springs through a 43-mile pipeline starting at Pueblo Dam.

Mayor Rivera said that having the Participants’ Proposed Action named as the preferred alternative underscores the benefits of this alternative. “The fact Alternative 2 involves all four communities – Colorado Springs, Pueblo West, Security and Fountain – underscores the regional value and benefit of SDS,” he said. “It is also the most direct way to deliver water and the least expensive alternative out of hundreds of options that were studied and among the seven included in the Draft EIS.”

SDS from Pueblo Dam also maximizes the return on more than $65 million invested by El Paso County residents in Fryingpan-Arkansas Project water facilities, including Pueblo Reservoir, since 1959.

“SDS is a cost-effective, dependable and environmentally responsible way to meet our future water needs for residents and businesses,” Rivera said. Based on the analysis in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement, none of the alternatives studied appear to create significant adverse environmental impacts.

The state demographer estimates there will be 800,000 people living in Colorado Springs by 2050. It’s estimated half of that growth will come from the children and grandchildren of current residents as they have families of their own. Another large portion will come from expansion at Fort Carson and other local military facilities.

“Without SDS, our Colorado Springs quality of life and our healthy economy could be jeopardized.”

Rivera said SDS will benefit all residents by helping protect the city against future droughts and increasing the reliability of the existing water system by ensuring uninterrupted water for homes and businesses when aging pipelines need maintenance or repair.

“We encourage the public to use this opportunity to learn more about this vital project and submit their comments to the Bureau of Reclamation,” Rivera said. “This is the future of our water.”

For more information on SDS, go to www.csu.org and click on the Southern Delivery System link. To read or comment on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement, go to www.sdseis.com.