PUEBLO, Colo. — Pueblo County commissioners and the Pueblo West Metro Board of Directors on July 18 discussed the municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) permit that governs stormwater discharges in Pueblo West and agreed to pursue a joint drainage and stormwater study and coordinated public education and enforcement effort.

The meeting opened with a summary of the permit and the background to the current negotiations. “The number 1 topic on today’s agenda is the MS 4 permit. MS 4 is municipal separate stormwater system permit as it relates to the Pueblo West Metro District,” Christian Jay Hind, district manager for Pueblo West, said. He outlined that Pueblo West has held a CDPHE standard MS4 permit since the early 2000s and that the county and district have discussed whether the permit should remain with Pueblo West as a standard permit or transition to another arrangement as road maintenance shifts to the county.

The discussion matters because much of the stormwater conveyance in Pueblo West is on the roadway system, and drainage and roads are functionally linked. “We have some work to do…before we can get to an agreement,” said Commissioner Paul McPeters, urging a study so both bodies understand the full scope and cost. County staff and Pueblo West directors repeatedly said the lack of a comprehensive, current engineering and financial estimate has made long‑term planning and grant seeking difficult.

County staff described previous and recent analyses and the funding gap. Sabina (county staff) recalled earlier estimates and professional feedback: “in 2010 or between ’8 and ’10, we estimated between, 70 and a $100,000,000 for a drainage project.” County public‑works staff said prior analyses and road‑condition profiling suggested Pueblo West needs roughly $8 million per year to maintain its roads, while Highway User Tax Fund (HUTF) transfers and other dedicated revenues currently supply far less. Christian Hind summarized revenue figures discussed in the meeting, including about $3.8 million per year in local 1% sales tax revenue intended for Pueblo West road work.

Staff described near‑term and technical steps. Director George (Pueblo County public works) said the county is implementing a mapping/work‑order system (Cartograph) to better tie work orders, locations and costs so the county can report how much road and bridge money is actually spent in Pueblo West. He told the boards the new system will be tested in a sandbox and go live near the end of the calendar year, improving the ability to report dollar‑per‑mile and project‑level spending.

On next steps, county and Pueblo West staff proposed a joint scope of work for a comprehensive drainage/stormwater study that would cover the MS4 area and recommended the study include options and phased mitigation priorities. Staff gave ballpark references from recent local studies: a drainage study for a similar area (Saint Charles Mesa) cost about $424,000 and previous high‑level regional estimates put construction costs far higher. County staff said the scope could be drafted in roughly 4–6 weeks and that solicitation of firms could follow; actual study work likely would cross fiscal years and could require a budget amendment.

The boards also discussed non‑engineering actions. County staff and directors agreed to coordinate a public education campaign and stepped‑up identification of obstructions in county right‑of‑way (rocks, landscaping, mailboxes and other encroachments) that impede drainage. Pueblo County staff said the county has the authority to remove obstructions from county right‑of‑way for health, safety and welfare reasons, but officials emphasized an education‑first approach with warnings before enforcement.

There was no formal vote on changing permit ownership or on detailed funding commitments at the meeting. Attendees generally supported jointly drafting a study scope and exploring shared funding; county staff said a funding decision would likely be addressed through the county budget process and could require a budget amendment if work begins sooner than the next fiscal year. Christian Jay Hind offered to draft a scope of work for a joint solicitation.

Among operational notes, staff highlighted that the current MS4 boundary covers the area south of U.S. Highway 50 and that northern areas may reach MS4 thresholds as population and development grow. Staff said current MS4 compliance activities for Pueblo West are supported by roughly $100,000 per year for consultant services and part‑time staff time (design review, inspections and reporting), but that that work does not fund construction or drainage infrastructure.

The meeting closed with agreement to continue the joint meetings and to have staff return with a proposed scope, timeline and rough cost estimate for the study so boards can decide on funding. The boards adjourned by motion at the end of the session.