City cleaning out Fountain Creek to get ready for flood season

Debris clogged Fountain Creek and caused major damage in Manitou Springs last year, but the city is using heavy machinery to get rid of the muck in the creek.

Manitou Springs Flood Recovery Manager Roger Miller said clearing out Fountain Creek is part of the $750,000 flood project to make the city a safer place to live during flood season.

He said crews are cleaning out the debris not only along the shoulders of the creek, but lowering Fountain Creek also.

Miller said Manitou Springs is ready for flood season.

“We fixed a lot of things since then and I think the new improvements to the channel and Williams canyon we should have a much smooth flood season,” he said.

Georgia Sinclair lives in Manitou Springs. She said seeing all this work gives her comfort going into the flood season.

“It gives me some amount of peace of mind knowing that the flood waters won’t get as high as last summer,” she said.

Miller said clearing out the creek should be done in early June and all the flood projects should be done by mid to late summer.