Communities outside Colorado Springs worried about water impacts from potential expansion

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) -As the election for the Karman Line project approaches on Tuesday, communities within the Lower Arkansas Valley are concerned about how their water resources could be affected.

Duane Gurule, Mayor of Rocky Ford, said, “People in Southeast Colorado are impacted anytime water leaves our area.”

This comes as several farm communities, including Rocky Ford, La Junta, and Las Animas County, passed resolutions that oppose the annexation of more land across the Front Range. Leaders in Rocky Ford specifically mentioned the Karman Line project as the center of concern, saying the project, which annexes new land, takes more water from their community.

“We don’t get enough rain in this area. So we are 100% dependent on our water coming from the Arkansas River,” said Chris Tomky, a farmer in Rocky Ford.

But others disagree. In a statement released from Colorado Springs Utilites they call the claims “propaganda,” saying they have enough water to last the city the next 3 years. They also assure communities in the Lower Arkansas Valley that they have many other water sources that they use to fulfill water needs.

Lisa Barbato, the system planner for Colorado Springs Utilities, said, “We just wanna make sure our customers have the right information. The were some inaccuracies that we didn’t have enough water for growth, and we do. We plan ahead for 50 years for our community.”

Eli Bremer, a founding partner with Karman Line, said these claims are baseless.

Bremer said, “Increased annexation doesn’t increase water usage…what winds up happening is that the city will get first usage rights on that water. The water will be cleaned and then sent back down the river so the farm could continue to use it if they did so desire.”

The election on whether to approve or deny the Karman Line project will be on Tuesday. City Data shows 46,000 people have already submitted their ballots.

Click here for the Colorado Springs Utilties water report.

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