A federal judge’s ruling this week that Colorado Springs failed to adequately curb the amount of sediment and pollutants flowing down Fountain Creek could leave the city on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars in penalties, two councilmen warned. “This easily could be worse than Pueblo (County),” Councilman Bill Murray told The Gazette on Saturday, referring to the $460 million stormwater agreement in 2016 between Colorado Springs and Pueblo County. Two years ago, Colorado Springs sought to placate Pueblo County by promising to spend nearly half a billion dollars on stormwater projects over the next 20 years. Pueblo County residents had long borne the brunt of the damage caused by Colorado Springs’ unwillingness to address erosion and flooding from stormwater runoff flowing downstream in Fountain Creek. Despite that agreement and the resurrection of a fee that will free up about $17 million a year for the stormwater projects, U.S. District Judge Richard Matsch’s ruled Friday that Colorado Springs was in violation of federal regulations governing runoff into waterways. Colorado Springs News Colorado Springs violated stormwater regulations, judge rules in lawsuit over runoff Conrad Swanson Matsch, issuing a partial ruling in a lawsuit filed two years ago by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, found that the city failed to adequately monitor and control what was ending up in creeks at three construction sites. Matsch faulted city officials for allowing construction crews to skirt stormwater requirements meant to reduce the amount of pollutants discharged… [Read full story]
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