In mid-July, Falcon resident Dan Kibler noticed that the northwest embankment of Drake Lake in Falcon (off Mallard Drive) had been breached, and he is worried about the welfare of the surrounding vegetation and wildlife. On July 25, Kibler said he attended the El Paso County Board of County Commissioners meeting to find out what the county planned to do to fix the problem.Kibler said the breach was bound to happen because the culvert south of the wash-out point had been clogged for more than a year. Additionally, he said the underground spring that serves the lake has been covered with sand, and it no longer flows.Tim Wolken, director of the Community Services Department of El Paso County, said once the breach was discovered, the county made short-term repairs rather than undertaking a massive project to ensure no other washouts occurred that would also need to be repaired. A tarp was placed over the breach, and sandbags were placed over the tarp to hold it in place.ìThe short-term solution was not to completely close the breach,î Wolken said. ìOur goal was to stabilize the bank and stabilize the water level, then focus on a long-term solution.îBut Kibler said he is concerned the county will not make additional repairs, in part because of funding. The county spent plenty of money putting in the path by the lake, he said. ìThey are worried about the dead trees and want to remove them, which would destroy the habitat of some wildlife around here, but they are not doing anything about the water,î Kibler said.Mark Waller, who represents District 2 on the EPC Board of County Commissioners, said he received phone calls from Kibler stating the lake would be drained in a matter of hours if nothing was done to permanently fix the breach. ìOur staff felt the demise of the lake was not nearly as imminent as he thinks is it,î Waller said. ìThe lake is one of a number of priorities in the county.îWolken said funding is a concern but only one of a few the county must address. They also need to research water and property rights and determine the best permanent solution. ìWe have been meeting with the county attorneyís office to get a good understanding of the water and property rights around the lake,î he said. ìIt is surrounded by private property, and it is challenging to get to that side of the lake (where the breach occurred). We cannot just back up trucks there.îThe county is considering whether the breach should be a natural spillway, Wolken said. Another option might be to not refill the lake completely and put in a service road or walking path around it to make all sides of the lake accessible, he said. ìWe are looking at all the possibilities,î Wolken said.In the meantime, Kibler said the geese that used to live at the lake are no longer there, and he is concerned that other wildlife species will follow suit. ìThe only thing saving the vegetation is all the rain we have been getting,î he said. ìNo one is advocating for this place.îWolken said his department is planning to present the situation to the BOCC in September to give the board an overview of what has occurred to date to allow the commissioners to weigh in on the options.ìWe have been using our own engineers to figure out what we need to do,î Wolken said. ìWe are looking at solving the issue and determining what is best for Drake Lake.îKibler said the repair with the tarps and sandbags is failing and the county is busy doing multiple non-priority projects and spending money, rather than working to save the lake, but Waller said, ìI am confident that the breach is going to be fixed and the lake is going to continue on in perpetuity and be the same great resource we have always had.î
