El Paso County held two community meetings in June to discuss the ongoing repairs for the breach in the embankment at Drake Lake. The breach occurred in mid-July 2017; and, since then, EPC has made temporary repairs until it obtained the funds and a design for a permanent solution. Additionally, cadets from the Civil Air Patrol have adopted the lake to help maintain it, said Tim Wolken, director of the EPC community services department.With about 12 community members in attendance, the first meeting June 12 included a presentation from Josh Armstrong with GMS Consulting Engineers about the plans for the repair. The plans include the installation of a rip rap spillway, concrete cutoff wall, an auxiliary grass-lined spillway and improvements to the overflow channel located downstream of the spillway.Funding for the project comes from the voter-approved 1A ballot measure from November 2017. According to the December 2017 issue of The New Falcon Herald, the measure allows EPC to retain and spend $14,548,000 of excess 2016 revenue to invest in infrastructure projects, including the Drake Lake repairs.Wolken said the county still needs to secure some channel easements on private property to make the repairs. He said they hope to bid the project in early fall with construction to immediately follow.Because community members voiced concerns about impacts to the wildlife in the area, Wolken said the county held the second meeting June 26 to specifically address those concerns. He said the county has been working with a consultant to obtain monthly bird counts to determine if there has been a dramatic change in the number of birds in the area since the breach occurred.ìWe looked at the current bird counts, and there has been no dramatic drop at this point, which is good,î Wolken said. The county will continue the counts and receive quarterly updates, he said.Aaron Bershcheid, a representative from Colorado Parks and Wildlife, attended the meeting and agreed to provide wildlife templates for improvements so the county can make a three-year plan.ìOur next step is to get those templates, and then we will have a better understanding about whether or not we will need help when the lake is refilled and we start making improvements to the habitat,î Wolken said.
