Friday tour updates flood control projects
Workers are scrambling to finish several flood mitigation projects before spring and summer rain possibly produces flooding similar to what occurred last year in El Paso County.
Republican Rep. Doug Lamborn, of Colorado Springs, toured the projects Friday with El Paso County Commissioner Sallie Clark, who’s been active in seeking funding for projects.
“There’s a lot of work going on,” he said. “It is expensive, and I want to make sure that the federal portion of the funds are wisely and effectively spent — and I think that it is, as far as I can tell.”
Clark said the area has received around $40 million for projects so far, and still needs an equal amount more. The money has come from a combination of federal, local and state money to address flooding from the Waldo Canyon burn scar.
“The hard part is we (locally) have to come up with a 20-percent match,” she said. “We’ll probably be doing projects and seeking funding for the next 10 years. We’re doing the best we can to try and finish most of the projects this summer.”
Clark said the current projects are of the highest priority, and are designed to catch debris and slow the flow of flood waters to limit damage to Manitou Springs, U.S. 24 through Ute Pass and surrounding areas.
