El Paso County moves forward on potential project in Falcon neighborhood with flooding issues
EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- The question of who is responsible for maintaining the underground drainage system in the Falcon Highlands neighborhood is still unclear, but it was a point of emphasis for the El Paso County Commissioners during a meeting Thursday.
The El Paso County Commissioners voted 4-1 to approve a preliminary plan for the development of nearly 400 homes in the Falcon Highlands neighborhood. This is as some residents continue to pump hundreds of gallons of water from underneath their homes to keep their basements from flooding.
They claim the underground drainage system is either clogged or broken. This is as both El Paso County and the Falcon Highlands Metro District deny responsibility and claim there is no documentation proving either is required to fix it, forcing homeowners to clean up the mess.
“This is thousands of dollars in damage," said Janelle McNeil, whose basement has flooded twice in the last month. "We have no intention of rebuilding the basement until this is figured out. Every day I wake up not knowing if my basement is going to be flooded. I'm nervous every time I open the door to go downstairs.”
Residents are worried if more homes are added to the neighborhood, the Falcon Highlands Metro District and the drainage system would be overwhelmed. This is the same reason El Paso County Commissioner Longinos Gonzales voted against the proposed development.
“The existing metro district is showing it has an issue related to potentially being overburdened as it currently exists and it would be the metro district that would service this project,” Gonzales said.
However, El Paso County Commissioner Carrie Geitner disagrees that the issue is due to capacity but rather the confusion surrounding who is responsible for the infrastructure maintenance. She approved the preliminary plan for the proposed development Thursday but said there has to be clear documentation about who is responsible for maintenance of the drainage system if she is to officially approve the final plat in the future.
“Those things have to be clearly spelled out and have to be agreed to by the entities that are going to take responsibility for the maintenance of those (infrastructures) so that we can make sure that residents will be protected in the future from any kind of problems with understanding who the legal requirements really lie with,” Geitner said.
During the meeting, a representative for the developer said there will be new infrastructure with the project and the new homes will not be impacted by the current drainage system.
Both El Paso County and the metro district said they are working on a solution to fix the underdrain system, but Geitner couldn’t provide what those solutions are due to lawsuits from homeowners.
“I really can't speak to potential litigation,” she said. “What I can say, which is what I said on the record here today, is we are doing our best to work to be a positive part of that solution.”
Residents, like Debra Chase, said they have been waiting for those solutions for months now.
“We haven't seen any evidence of anyone coming to a solution, unfortunately,” Chase said. “Actions speak louder than words, so if you're going to do it, do it.”
