Fountain Creek Watershed Projects or Related Projects
 
 Upper Fountain Creek E. coli study

This study is a collaborative effort being funded by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), Colorado Springs and Colorado Springs Utilities and was initiated because E. Coli was listed on the 2006 303d List and Draft 2008 303d List. The 303d list is a list of water quality impaired stream segments throughout the State and E. coli is a type of bacteria normally found in the human and animal gastrointestinal tracts and is an indicator of other illness-causing bacteria and pathogens in the waterway. E. coli is listed as a high priority parameter because of public health related issues and concerns. This study focuses on about a 12-mile segment of Upper Fountain Creek from Green Mountain Falls to the confluence of Fountain Creek and Monument Creek. Sampling is being conducted by the USGS and began in Spring 2007. The first phase of the sampling is completed and focused on identifying specific areas of high E. Coli contamination. Project participants are working with local communities to identify potential sources of areas that have been identified as having E. Coli contamination.

A public meeting to discuss the results of the E. Coli Study was held on January 24, 2008.

Public Meeting Handout
Upper Fountain Creek E. coli Study Presentation

Peak to Prairie
 
Peak to Prairie Section III Project Impact (.pdf)
 
Jonathan Moore of the Colorado Open Lands gave an overview of the land preservation that is occurring along Fountain Creek.  A grant for the total of
$60,000 has been submitted to perform a resource analysis along the Fountain
Creek watershed.  This will involve talking to stakeholders and private landowners
along Fountain Creek about protecting their property now and for the future.  The
COL would like to be involved in dialogue regarding Fountain Creek and would like
to participate in future FCWTAC meetings.  The Fountain Creek Conservation
 Project has been changed to the Peak to Prairie Project because the project
includes more than just the creek itself.    

The Peak to Prairie Project is a large-scale conservation initiative focusing on key resources in El Paso and Pueblo Counties.  The project involves many partners and stretches from Cheyenne Mountain in the west to the El Paso County line in the east, from the City of Colorado Springs in the  north to the City of Pueblo and the Arkansas River in the south.  The project covers over 900 square miles of prairie, creek, mountain and plains.

Significance - Within this region are valuable resources such as working agricultural operations, scenic vistas, threatened wildlife habitat, military assets, and open space.

The goal of the project is to preserve and protect these resources by knitting
together and protecting public and private lands.  The resulting landscape will be
a relatively intact landscape in one of the last remaining stretches of un-fragmented
land along Colorado’s Front Range.

Click here for a link to the website that discusses Peak to Prairie.