Business owner fears losing building, property from erosion along Fountain Creek
FOUNTAIN, Colo. (KRDO) -- While officials continue to search for ways to reduce impacts of erosion from strong flows in Fountain Creek, Brett Taylor says that he may lose his business in the next heavy rainstorm.
Taylor owns a painting and stain business along Southmoor Drive -- a section of which closed nearly four years ago because erosion threatened to undermine the road.
The problem is that the road is along a bluff above the creek, and under a sharp bend in the creek that increases the erosion rate when hit by heavy flows and strong storms.
Taylor says that he has lost part of his parking lot, and his building is now only a few feet from collapsing over the bluff and into the creek.
"Insurance doesn't cover anything," he says. "This is all that I have. It has taken a long time to get it taken care of. I'd put dirt down myself, but they won't let me do it. The original plan was to put dirt down, compact it and then build a structure at 1 45-degree angle."
A similar problem forced the closing of the Riverside Mobile Home Park downstream in 2017.
KRDO13 has learned that Fountain is responsible for repairing and reopening the closed road section, but can't do so until the Fountain Creek Watershed District determines a solution that could cost millions of dollars and still not work in the long term.
Creek erosion apparently is also affecting supports for a bridge at the south end of Fountain, and city officials revealed last week that they have started discussions with the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) about eventually replacing that bridge.
