Debris in Fountain Creek is a concern for Pueblo’s Public Works Department

What goes into Fountain Creek in Teller and El Paso County ends up affecting Pueblo.

El Paso, Teller and Pueblo County all share Fountain Creek.

After storms hit El Paso and Teller on Thursday, rushing water filled with debris made its way to Pueblo.

“Every time it rains heavy up north, (Fountain) creek starts to get larger and larger,” Mark Armenta said. He owns a business next to Fountain Creek.

But he is more worried about the debris hitting the bridges on Fountain Creek than the water.

“It hasn’t been replaced for a while and I don’t know how strong or how secure it is,” Armenta said.

Pueblo Public Works Director Earl Wilkinson said the bridges are checked regularly to make sure they are safe.

But the tree branches, rocks and other debris are still a concern.

“If it builds up around the bridge structure it could, in a worst case scenario, create some structural issue with the bridge,” he said.

Wilkinson said the best thing he and his crews can do is wait until the water recedes in the creek.

“It seems to work best when we do work in the winter months, particularly cutting out the trees and what have you,” he said.

Wilkinson said the Fountain Creek Watershed District should be getting more than $10 million from the Southern Delivery System. He hopes the money can be used to stabilize the banks on Fountain Creek to prevent more debris from going into Pueblo’s part of the creek.