BOCC studies stormwater issues

On June 14, the El Paso County Board of County Commissioners held a work session on the area’s stormwater problems. The county has as many as 135 drainage basins, and only 30 have been studied, said Andre Brackin, county engineer.However, each study costs about $250,000, he said.Fountain Creek watershed, which drains into the Arkansas River, is the county’s major drainage basin, covering 927 square miles of the entire county’s 2,200 square miles, Brackin said.For years, the county has been using its road and bridge fund to address drainage problems in the unincorporated part of the county. Brackin said itís one challenge to maintain roads and bridges out of the fund. Using the road and bridge fund to address drainage infrastructure is more than just a stretch, he added.ìWe have a long list of deferred projects and inadequate funding to address (what) in some areas I would call close to a disaster,î Brackin said.He cited a neighborhood in Security, Colo., built in the late 1970s, as an example of a development in danger because it lacks storm drains.ìWe’ve seen a lot of storms in Security, with tremendous flooding in 1995, 1997 and 1999,î Brackin said. ìI’m very concerned if those storm-drain systems don’t get built, near term you could see a very disastrous storm that affects many residents there.îBrackin estimated the county has a backlog of $47 million in drainage projects: a combination of bridges, channels, storm-drain systems and detention ponds. Of that, about $18 million are high priority or safety related.There is a metal pipe under Black Forest Road near Burgess Road that needs to be replaced soon, or the county might have to close Black Forest Road, he said.ìWe look at phasing in these things over time, but you can’t really accomplish much with that kind of strategy,î Brackin said.The problem has worsened over the past 20 years because of federal and state regulations that the county has no means to address.Eliminating the Environmental Protection Agency regulations won’t solve the county’s stormwater problems, said Commissioner Dennis Hisey.Brackin agreed.ìMost of the (EPA) measures put in place are not only worthwhile but they’re absolutely necessary for addressing water quality,î Brackin said. ìThere is no debate among engineers about that. We need to ensure (EPA’s) National Pollutant Discharge Elimination measures are implemented in all of our regulations for new development.ìWhat we’d like to drive home today is that you can’t fix this problem without a regional approach.îLast year, the Fountain Creek Watershed Flood Control and Greenway District hired Summit Economics to analyze ways to develop a regional approach for addressing stormwater issues.The watershed district, Colorado Springs Utilities, El Paso County and the Pikes Peak Regional Water Authority funded the study.Summit Economics partner, Mike Anderson, summarized the results:El Paso and Pueblo counties need roughly $830 million worth of capital improvements, infrastructure replacement, maintenance, basin studies and planning. Almost 75 percent of that need ($600 million) is in unincorporated El Paso County, Colorado Springs, Fountain, Manitou Springs and Monument.ìIt’s taken 30 to 50 years for the problem to balloon to the current level, and it’s going to take a number of years to solve it,î Anderson said.A 25-year program with an annual budget of $32 million would do the job if the region’s residents are willing to pay what the average Front Range resident pays each year: $57.38.Currently, El Paso County residents are paying $4 per person annually. Pueblo county residents are paying $26 annually, he said.After evaluating 17 funding mechanisms based on a variety of factors, from the benefits to the payers to the legalities and administrative functions to providing a dedicated source of funding; the list of funding opportunities for stormwater management was narrowed to the following:

• property tax
• sales tax
• general revenue appropriation
• stormwater fee
• combination of the above

Summit Economics also studied ways to organize a stormwater management program. After analyzing the 73 types of government entities allowed in Colorado, Summit Economics found three that are suitable:

• Urban drainage and flood control districts, which can’t collect a sales tax, but can use the other three funding mechanisms
• Counties, which can use all four funding mechanisms (a 5.8 mill tax on real property or a .5 percent sales tax would be required to generate the necessary funds in El Paso County)
• Authorities created by an intergovernmental agreement, which can’t tax property or collect a sales tax but can collect a stormwater fee and receive general fund appropriations

It could take as long as three years to develop enough voter consensus to solve the area’s stormwater issues, Anderson said.ìAs much as we all would like water to stay where it falls, this is a regional issue,î said Brandy Williams, member of the Colorado Springs City Council, as well as the Fountain Creek Watershed district.The June 11 storm was a reminder of the issues. Homes and cars were inundated, roads were impassible and 40 people had to be rescued because of water buildup, Williams said.She suggested embracing stormwater management as an opportunity to make the Pikes Peak region a better place to live.ìWe can create waterways and amenities that promote economic vitality and private sector jobs, whether it’s along Sand Creek, Monument Creek or Fountain Creek,î Williams said.ìIn Denver, where they put in waterways, they have increased the amount those lands are worth; second only to Aspen in Colorado. Maybe we can be No. 3 in Colorado Springs.îCommissioner Darryl Glenn said others need to participate in the discussions.ìMy concern is it’s still narrow,î Glenn said. ìWe have a lot of other municipalities in this area, so if we’re talking about trying to put together a regional collaboration, we need to think beyond just Colorado Springs.î