Dog toy pollution, E. coli concerns close South Suburban Reservoir to the public for good
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) announced the permanent closure of South Suburban Reservoir for public recreation, highlighting the significant amount of dog toys recovered during repairs.
The reservoir, built in 1932 to store raw drinking water, was closed in April 2024 for repairs but has allowed public access for many decades. CSU says the decision to close the reservoir for public use permanently was made due to water quality and safety concerns.
A common recreational activity at the reservoir before closing was dog swimming, which CSU says "disturbs sediment, increasing levels of organic carbon and nutrients that promote algae growth and introduce pathogens such as E. coli."
According to CSU, the small size of the reservoir makes it hard to "adequately dilute these pollutants, making high-quality water treatment more challenging."
When fixing the repairs, CSU says around 1,000 dog toys were removed from the reservoir during clean-outs in 2020 and 2024, which raised concerns about microplastics in a drinking water source.
“This has historically been the only reservoir that has extended contact of animals or people — and we’re changing that policy," said Brian Babcock with CSU.
CSU says “the closure is effective in order to align with how we manage our reservoirs and best practice for our raw water system management,” but some residents hope there’s a way to balance that with keeping public spaces open.
KRDO13 spoke to a local dog walker today who shared his thoughts on the permanent closure.
"If they’re so concerned about plastic, it just seems like they’d be putting in another type of material to line the pond," said Sam Creigh, who owns Trails & Tails Dog Adventures. ”It seems like they don't wanna have to deal with maintaining the space."
According to CSU, the reservoir was never formally approved as a recreational spot, and its closure is necessary for safe drinking water. The reservoir will remain fenced off indefinitely.
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