El Paso County proclaims Sept. 27–Oct. 5 as Creek Week 2025; Fountain Creek Watershed District outlines cleanup efforts

The El Paso County Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday approved a proclamation recognizing Sept. 27–Oct. 5 as Creek Week 2025 and heard a presentation from the Fountain Creek Watershed District on volunteer cleanup efforts and restoration needs.

The proclamation, introduced under item 6 on the agenda, passed on a 4–0 roll-call vote. It names Creek Week as a litter-cleanup, education and restoration effort across the Fountain Creek watershed and encourages residents, businesses and organizations to form volunteer “Creek Crews.” The Board recessed briefly for a photograph after the vote.

Allie Shook, executive with the Fountain Creek Watershed District, told commissioners the district organizes the annual cleanup and uses volunteers to reduce litter and improve water quality. “We’ve engaged 25,000 volunteers in removing a 175 tons of trash,” Shook said. She described Creek Week as an accessible civic activity from preschool groups to seniors and noted the district partners with local governments and community organizations to run the event.

Shook said the Fountain Creek watershed spans from Palmer Lake to Pueblo and covers about 927 square miles. She told the board the district has identified roughly $1 billion in needed work throughout the watershed but has limited stable funding; the district has completed about $40,000,000 in restoration work on the main stem of Fountain Creek to date.

Shook also described recent large-scale projects the district has helped with. She said the Southmore Drive project, completed this year in the City of Fountain, was a roughly $7,200,000 effort that included a large embankment and road closures during work. The district continues to rely on partner funding and grants, she said.

County staff and Shook described operational partnerships that support Creek Week, including shared storage at the county’s Bear Creek shop and county-supported crew-leader training held at Bear Creek facilities. Shook said the county is supporting at least three cleanup sites this year, including the Bear Creek Dog Park and county nature centers.

The proclamation text recorded on the agenda cites the Fountain Creek Watershed District’s collaboration with municipalities and community groups and lists the Board of County Commissioners as recognizing Creek Week and encouraging public participation. The proclamation was attested by the county clerk and recorder in the document presented at the meeting.

Votes at a glance - Proclamation recognizing Creek Week 2025: approved, vote 4–0.