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Fountain Creek Watershed District tells Pueblo council $50M has bought major projects, but only ~$8M remains for new work
Summary
Fountain Creek Watershed District told the council it has spent most of a $50 million mitigation allocation on creek restoration—removing an estimated 150,000 tons of sediment—but warned the district now has about $8 million left and is exploring in‑lieu fees and other sustainable funding for maintenance.
PUEBLO — The Fountain Creek Watershed District told the City Council on Monday that $50 million in mitigation funding has supported dozens of restoration plans and more than a dozen large‑scale projects but that those funds have been mostly expended, leaving limited money for future projects and maintenance.
Ally Shook, executive director of the district, said the $50 million award was intended to offset erosion, sedimentation and water‑quality impacts generated by imported water and wastewater spills related to the southern delivery system. "We were gifted $50,000,000 to offset those impacts," Shook said, and the district has used those funds to install about 12 large restoration projects and support nearly 30 watershed plans and studies.
Shook said the work has measurable impact: "We can confirm that our projects have reduced over a 150,000 tons of sediment from entering Fountain Creek," she said, citing collaboration with USGS monitoring. She highlighted local projects including bank stabilization near 13th Street (about 2,900 feet, $2.6M) and the recently completed Eagle Ridge project (about 5,000 feet, $4.4M).
But Shook warned that maintenance funding was not included in the original mitigation award and that the district is now "down to about $8,000,000 out of that 50." She described an in‑lieu fee program under development as a voluntary regulatory option for developers: where mitigation banks do not exist, developers could pay the district to perform required mitigation work rather than manage long‑term restoration themselves. "This is not an assessed fee. It's not a tax," Shook said.
During council questions, Councilor Latino pressed the district on responses to homeless encampments and creek fires. Shook and a district outreach staffer who had been introduced as Susan Finzel said the district lacks enforcement authority to remove people but coordinates cleanups with emergency services and parks staff; Finzel said volunteers and district crews removed nearly 1,700 pounds of debris during a May 2 cleanup and that the district spent an extra $20,000 to clear an unexpected homeless camp during a recent project.
Why it matters: The district’s maintenance and long‑term funding choices affect local flooding risk, infrastructure protection and water quality for Pueblo. Councilors asked the district to keep the city apprised of funding options and project schedules.
