Troubled segment of Security-Widefield drainage ditch finally repaired but other questions remain

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — Six years after KRDO13 learned of it and began reporting on it, crews have finished repairs to a half-mile-long drainage ditch that had deteriorated and contributed to local flooding for decades.

A month ago, workers completed a five-month project to replace the concrete liner in the ditch that parallels Highway 87 and railroad tracks between Fontaine Boulevard and Grinnell Street.

The end of construction comes as a huge relief to homeowners and merchants along the ditch's east bank on Widefield Boulevard who had lived with the threat of damage from flooding and erosion.

"When (workers) were actually doing (the project), it was shaking our house too much," said Orion Gonzales. "And now, it's perfect."

Wilma Thompson said that she loves the new ditch — although her two dogs don't.

"They keep barking at it," she said. "And now, for the first time in a while, I don't have to pay for flood insurance. I was watching the ditch during all the rain and snow we had this week, but there wasn't much of a flow. Let's see what happens after heavy rainstorms. But it's definitely better than it was."

El Paso County paid $2.5 million to replace the concrete liner; however, the end of the project doesn't resolve another continuing issue.

"The county still does not own it," said Joshua Palmer, head engineer for the county. "We will not be maintaining it. It may be unclear who actually owns it, but what is clear is that the county does not own it. Practically and even legally, there's a liability for the county to accept ownership or maintenance of stuff that we do not own."

As KRDO 13 reported in the summer of 2022, the county reached an agreement with the Security Sanitation District (formerly Security Water) and Fountain Valley Investment Partners; the agreement lists the partners as the owners of the ditch and is believed to be the original developers of Security-Widefield.

The ditch — according to the agreement — was built in 1961, and Security Water acquired a drainage easement that was transferred to the county in 1972; apparently there are no records to indicate who built the ditch, and when.

Palmer said that the ditch was originally built for irrigation and doesn't have the capacity to serve as a drainage ditch, especially given how the area has grown and generated more drainage.

"The county is working on a condition assessment for the entire county," he explained. "We have an upcoming stormwater master plan they're going to be working on. Some of the outcomes of those two studies are going to be identified needs in the Security area. We already have some needs identified."

Palmer said that by addressing drainage needs elsewhere, the county might be able to reduce the amount of drainage in the ditch. However, the assessment is only in its early stages and likely won't be finished anytime soon.

"That's at least a couple of years worth of work," he said.

The ditch immediately north of Fontaine is deteriorating as badly as the section south of Fontaine was, and neighbors may wonder why similar repairs aren't happening there.

"We have limited funding," Palmer said. "As it is, we're using ARPA (federal pandemic recovery money) to pay for this project."

An apparent lack of maintenance contributed to the ditch's deterioration, and he said that how often the repaired ditch needs maintenance work isn't an immediate concern.

"There's an immediate benefit — we fixed the problem," Palmer said. "I think we've supported and really provided a benefit to the homeowners and the business owners in the area. Ideally, there would be some sort of resolution to who actually owns it and maybe who's responsible for maintaining it in the future. But we don't know."

The ditch merges with another ditch and flows into Crews Gulch, which eventually drains into nearby Fountain Creek.

Whomever becomes responsible for ditch maintenance will also likely have to clean up a large amount of trash and debris in the gulch.

Lore Czpaza moved to the area from Germany at around the time the ditch was built, and spent time on Friday looking at the repair job.

"This is as close as I've been in a long time," she said. "I used to clean trash out of it. I see a shopping cart in there now. That's sad. But the money for the work was well-spent."