Repairs to a breached embankment at Drake Lake in Falcon have been delayed because of a lack of funding. The breach occurred in mid-July 2017; El Paso County made temporary repairs to the damaged area while waiting for the funding.In November 2017, voters approved the 1A ballot measure, which allows the county to retain and spend $14,548,000 of excess 2016 revenue to invest in infrastructure projects, like the repairs to Drake Lake.After voters approved the ballot measure, Tim Wolken, director of the EPC community services department, said the county hired GMS Consulting Engineers to design the overall improvement plan, which will show what needs to be done to resolve the breach and erosion issues, he said.ìWe were all unsure what it (the plan) would entail and what the overall cost estimate would be,î Wolken said. The estimate significantly exceeded the funds available, he said.ìWe want to do it right and sometimes that takes more funding than you hope,î Wolken said.Given the funding constraints, GMS investigated a steel sheet piling option, which the county then sought approval for from the state of Colorado dam inspector, Wolken said. ìWe got the green light from them, and we are hoping to go out for bid in January to receive at least three bids for sheet piling,î he said.The sheet piling concept should quickly be installed and the county hopes to start in early spring, Wolken said. Frozen ground should not be an issue at that time, and the goal is to have the construction completed before spring runoff begins, he said.ìOur focus right now is the embankment repair,î Wolken said. ìThere is another small drain that we want to take a look at in the spring of 2019 and make that repair. We are also looking at the wildlife habitat in the area and have applied for a grant for those improvements. It should be exciting to see those improvements happen if we get it.î
