DRAFT EIS COMMENTS WILL MAKE SDS BETTER

Although the Bureau of Reclamation has official responsibility for considering public comments submitted in response to its Draft Environmental Impact Statement on the Southern Delivery System (SDS), Colorado Springs Utilities is studying the comments as well for potential ways to improve the project.

SDS Project Director John Fredell noted that the Proposed Action (Alternative 2), which involves a pipeline from Pueblo Dam, drew more support comments than all other alternatives combined.

“I’m grateful for the strong support for SDS expressed by many members of our community,” Fredell says. “I’m also interested in the comments expressing concerns and offering suggestions.”

As expected, Fountain Creek received considerable attention in the public comments. The Draft EIS considered the impacts on Fountain Creek in great detail and found SDS won’t substantially affect channel stability, flooding or water quality.

“We will be required to mitigate the impacts SDS has on Fountain Creek and other resources,” Fredell notes. “We’ve already made substantial investments to improve the quality of Fountain Creek, and we’re participating in a number of Fountain Creek initiatives separate from SDS.”

The Bureau of Reclamation will review all the comments submitted and outline any mitigation requirements in its Record of Decision for the Environmental Impact Statement for the project.

“We still have work to do, but the input we’ve received from the public will make SDS better,” Fredell says. “And, there will be more opportunities for public input. In fact, anyone who is so inclined can send us their comments any time to sdsinfo@csu.org.”