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Courtesy Colorado Springs Utilities
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Workers watch as the dam connection at Pueblo Reservoir is tested in 2012.
The latest news on the
Southern Delivery System, a water pipeline from
Pueblo Reservoir to Colorado Springs, won't pull many people's chain, but it's worth noting.
On Tuesday, the city kicked off construction of the Juniper pump station not far from the outlet from the dam that was built earlier as part of
SDS. It's one of three pump stations that, according to
Colorado Springs Utilities, represent some of the largest components of the project; cumulatively, they'll cost $76.5 million. A third of that will go to Colorado contractors. The prime contractor is
Archer Western Constructors of Arlington, Texas.
To update, here are some notes on SDS' progress, provided by Springs Utilities:
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Courtesy Colorado Springs Utilities
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The city is nearing completion of the pipeline through Pueblo County.
• The SDS pump stations will move water 1,500 feet in elevation from Pueblo Dam to the new water treatment plant under construction in El Paso County. At full capacity, SDS will be able to transport up to
96 million gallons of water per day (MGD) – 18 MGD to Pueblo West and the remaining 78 MGD to the El Paso County partner communities of Colorado Springs, Security and Fountain.
•
Garney Construction of Kansas City, Mo., is installing a 0.3-mile, 90-inch-diameter pipeline that will link Pueblo Dam to the Pueblo West Metropolitan District and other project partners. After Colorado Springs, Pueblo West is the second leading beneficiary of the SDS project.
• Major SDS construction work commenced in Pueblo County in 2011 with the start of the new connection to Pueblo Dam. Since then
18 miles of pipe have been installed in Pueblo County and a total of
42 total miles installed project-wide. Recently, the SDS pipeline construction project through Pueblo West was recognized by
Engineering News Record as the Best Water Project in 2013 for the mountain states region.
• Construction of the nearly
$1 billion project is resulting in significant benefits to the local economy. To date, more than 300 companies and organizations in Colorado have helped plan and construct SDS, including 100 in Pueblo County. Of the more than $362 million spent to plan and build SDS, more than $289 million has gone to Colorado companies.