$2 million flood repair project to start in El Paso County

Work is expected to begin soon on a project to repair a drainage channel, bridge and trail heavily damaged by record rainfall in the spring of 2015.

El Paso County planned to start the project this week at the Bennett Ranch Channel and Rock Island along U.S. 24 in Falcon.

Flooding damaged a mile-long section of the channel between the highway and Judge Orr Road, causing extensive erosion and a heavy accumulation of sand in a culvert under the highway and in a nearby sediment collection pond.

A huge sand pile in the area is evidence of the amount of sand removed since the March 2015 flooding.

“It doesn’t look good for the neighborhood,” said Mary Scott, a nearby resident. “I haven’t liked it. But I’m glad to hear they’re going to fix it.”

Workers also will restore a washed-out section of the Rock Island trail and bridge at that location.

“A lot of the sediment eroding from that channel is affecting two property owners,” said Jennifer Irvine, the county engineer.

The county acquired $1.2 million in federal money for the project through an emergency grant and will add $412,000 from stormwater development impact fees.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency will contribute around $300,000.

The county hopes to finish the project by the end of October.

In 2014, the county and Colorado Springs teamed up to present voters with a tax increase request to pay for stormwater improvements. However, the measure failed.

Since then, the city has moved ahead with its own long-range stormwater plan and funding mechanism but the county still struggles to do so.

“We don’t have money in our budget to pay for it,” Irvine said. “We have so many needs, it’s hard to determine which is worst.”

The upcoming project will protect the affected section of U.S. 24 from future erosion damage, she said.

As for the sand pile, Irvine said some of it may actually be used to help stabilize the channel.