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New! DEIS Comment Period Extended Until June 13
The Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Southern Delivery System (SDS) was released on February 29, 2008.
Reclamation hosted a series of open houses to explain the NEPA process, present the main findings of the DEIS, and solicit comments on the DEIS.
The meetings were held April 1 through 10 throughout the Arkansas River Basin.
In response to several requests, Reclamation has extended the 60-day comment period for an additional 45 days.
Comments can be submitted to Reclamation in a letter, by facsimile,
or by email. To be considered, all comments must be received by Friday, June 13, 2008.
- Submit a comment to Reclamation
- Review the DEIS or DEIS Summary
- Review EIS supporting documents (detailed reports for selected resource areas)
- Review public meeting informational displays and handouts
Draft EIS Public Review Planned to Begin on February 29, 2008
Proposed Project
The
Southern Delivery System (SDS) Project is a proposed regional water delivery
project
designed to serve most or all of the Participants’ (City of Colorado
Springs, City of Fountain, Security Water District and Pueblo West Metropolitan
District) future water needs through 2046. As proposed, SDS would deliver
Frying Pan-Arkansas (Fry-Ark) Project water
and non-Fry-Ark
Project water from the
Arkansas River near the City of Pueblo to the Participants’ service
areas.
The proposed SDS Project area would extend northward from the Arkansas River from a pipeline at Pueblo Reservoir to the City of Colorado Springs. As proposed, SDS would include construction and operation of the following components:
- Use of 42,000 acre-feet (ac-ft) of existing storage capacity in Pueblo Reservoir on an as-available basis
- Use of a Reclamation pipeline and outlet structure below Pueblo Dam to connect to an untreated (“raw”) water pipeline
- 2,200 feet of 78-inch pipeline capable of conveying 96 million gallons per day (mgd) and 1,100 feet of 72-inch pipeline capable of conveying 78 mgd of raw water
- A 160-foot long, 36-inch diameter pipeline capable of conveying 18 mgd of raw water to the existing Pueblo West Pump Station
- A 43-mile long, 66-inch diameter pipeline and three pump stations capable of conveying 78 mgd of raw water
- A 30,500-ac-ft local terminal storage reservoir to store raw water
- Relocation of electric transmission lines at the local terminal storage reservoir site
- A water treatment plant, with capacity to treat up to 109 mgd of water, to provide potable water for municipal and industrial use
- Transmission pipelines to convey potable water from the water treatment plant to local water distribution systems
- A 28,500-ac-ft water exchange reservoir and an associated conveyance system to store and release Colorado Springs’ reusable return flows
Purpose and Need
The basic project purpose is to provide a safe, reliable and sustainable water supply for the Participants through the foreseeable future.
The Participants have three needs that SDS would fulfill:
- To use developed and undeveloped water supplies to meet most or all projected future demands through 2046
- To develop additional water storage, delivery, and treatment capacity to provide system redundancy
- To perfect and deliver the Participants’ existing Arkansas River Basin water rights
Role of the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation)
Pueblo Reservoir and associated facilities are owned by
the United States and operated by Reclamation. The use of these facilities
by other entities
for water storage or conveyance requires contracts with Reclamation. Execution
of long-term contracts for the use of Reclamation facilities is the major
Federal action analyzed in this Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Reclamation
is the lead agency for the Federal action and is responsible
for environmental evaluation and
preparation of an EIS and a Record of Decision. The U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and