ROCKY FORD, Colo. — The board of directors of the Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District (Lower Ark District) has passed a resolution expressing opposition to any new annexations by the City of Colorado Springs that would exacerbate the city’s already existing 34,000 acre-feet annual water supply gap. 

The resolution, passed during the district’s regularly scheduled board meeting on Feb. 19, underscores their grave concerns regarding the detrimental impacts of additional water demands by Colorado Springs on the Lower Arkansas Valley.

The action came a week before 31,344 petition signatures opposing the new Karman Line annexation were delivered to the city clerk’s office on Feb. 26, sending a message to the City of Colorado Springs and its city council that the flagpole annexation is unwanted by the community. 

In January, Colorado Springs city council approved the Karman Line Annexation by a 7-2 vote, which involves the annexation of nearly 1,900 acres of land for the development of 6,500 homes and commercial space 3.5 miles away from Colorado Springs city limits in El Paso County. This type of annexation, known as a flagpole annexation, allows land that is not fully contiguous to the city to be added. 

ADVERSE IMPACT

Colorado Springs residents, and beyond, oppose the project primarily due to the added strain on city services and because of the city’s growing water supply gap that will adversely impact farmers, ranchers and the rural communities of the Lower Arkansas Valley. 

If 18,646 signatures of the 31,344 are verified, the council is forced to reconsider the annexation application, now with a clear, citywide message of opposition. If the City Council votes to approve the annexation again, a special election will be held this summer, and the voters will have the final say on whether the Karman Line annexation moves forward.

“It is reassuring to see that so many Colorado Springs citizens recognize the significant strain on resources that these new annexations, like Karman Line, will have on their city and that they are willing to challenge city council’s decision to grow Colorado Springs in this unsustainable way.” said Jack Goble, general manager, Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District. 

“The City of Colorado Springs has already committed over 11 billion gallons of water per year that they have not yet acquired to build out Colorado Springs as it sits today, not including the additional water needed for any new annexations. Acquiring this large amount of new water supply may not even be possible. Most concerning is that most of it will come from the permanent dry-up of Lower Arkansas Valley farmland. The Lower Ark District board is steadfast in affirming its opposition to new annexations in Colorado Springs that add to their already large water supply gap with a formal resolution. We encourage our neighbors throughout the Lower Ark Valley to follow suit.”

Jack Goble, along with other leading water voices throughout Colorado, including moderator Robert Sakata, water policy adviser, Colorado Department of Agriculture; Pat Wells, water strategy specialist, Northern Water; and Heather Dutton, district manager, San Luis Valley Water Conservancy District, will be sharing more on strategies to safeguard rural water supplies on Wednesday, March 5 at 9 a.m. at the Arkansas River Basin Water Forum in Pueblo. Learn more on the session, Beyond Borders: A cross-basin exploration of water preservation strategies, on the forum’s agenda.