Fountain Creek: Toward solutions for all

By Most Rev. Michael J. Sheridan, Bishop of Colorado Springs
And Most Rev. Arthur N. Tafoya, Bishop of Pueblo

We the Catholic Bishops of Pueblo and Colorado Springs are concerned with the water quality issues that affect the health and safety of the residents along Fountain Creek, as well as the existing tension between these two cities we serve. To address the problems that we face with Fountain Creek, we strongly encourage a structured, inclusive dialogue to develop a shared vision for the future of the Fountain Watershed.

Fountain Creek should be a valued and nurtured natural asset to all of the people who live, work and play along its banks. It should connect and unite the communities it touches, not divide them.

It is our wish to emphasize the moral and ethical responsibilities we all share to find equitable and effective solutions to the problems impacting Fountain Creek and we want to bring a message of hope to the discussions around those issues. They are sometimes complex, but they are resolvable.

Fountain Creek has become an effluent driven stream. Its flows are dominated by discharges from sewage treatment facilities and stormwater conduits. As our communities grow, those flows and the contaminants they carry will increase, and the risks of downstream flooding, human health problems and natural resource damages will increase as well.

Water is a necessity of life. Access to safe and clean water is a right of every person. It is our moral responsibility to ensure that the water that we discharge into our waterways is not polluted. Every community along our waterways has the right to clean water and to protection from floods and other damages that can be caused by ill-considered actions upstream.

Every set of problems provides us with valuable opportunities. So it is with Fountain Creek.

A serious commitment is essential to insure that the citizens who are most affected have a place at the table in any dialogue that explores possible solutions to the problems of Fountain Creek.

We applaud the efforts of leaders in and out of government who seek to assure clean water and manageable flows in Fountain Creek. We are especially grateful to those citizens who have organized to address problems in Fountain Creek, including the “water sentinels,” citizens who have volunteered to receive training to do water testing on the Fountain.

Fort Carson has chosen to build a sustainable future for the base and is reaching out to the surrounding communities to adopt the same vision. This vision is needed for our discussion about Fountain Creek.

We live in one of the most beautiful areas of the country. Colorado Springs, Pueblo and the surrounding communities are linked not only by Fountain Creek, but by a future that will be increasingly interdependent. What we envision and work for today will determine what future generations will inherit.

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