8th retention basin completed in Colorado Springs

Three years after the Waldo Canyon Fire, Colorado Springs still tries to get control of flash flooding from the burn scar.

This week, the city finished work on its eighth retention basin designed to trap debris and sediment, and keep it from damaging concrete drainage systems.

The new basin is next to an existing basin near the Flying W Ranch on the city’s west side. The existing basin was one of the first two completed by the city after the fire.

Both basins flow into North Douglas Creek, which has received significant flood mitigation work since the fire.

Tim Mitros, the city’s storm water manager, said the new basin cost around $200,000 to build. He said the city hired a contractor for the job because it has large earth-moving equipment.

Thoroughly cleaning sediment out of the basins has been difficult, Mitros said, because of the rainy spring and summer. However, he hopes the basins will be empty by the end of August.