Restoring and protecting clean water in Fountain Creek has been a Sierra Club priority for more than a decade.

In 2004 the Sierra Club sued the City of Colorado Springs in federal court for repeated violations of the Clean Water Act, and won in 2009. In 2006 the Sierra Club approved an application from the Sangre de Cristo Group for a new Fountain Creek Water Sentinels Program. In 2007 a Fountain Creek Vision task force was convened and in 2009 they issued a report including a proposal for creation of a watershed district to oversee continued progress toward improving the watershed. In 2009 this watershed district was approved by legislation. In 2013 the local watershed district was suspended when the club’s national Water Sentinels Program lost its funding.

In 2014, voters in El Paso County rejected a stormwater measure which would have created a stormwater agency and provided funding through a county-wide stormwater fee, to make stormwater improvements. A notice of intent to sue has been filed against the City by the Lower Arkansas Water Conservancy District, citing Colorado Springs’ reduction in stormwater funding, deterioration of infrastructure, failure to control structures, failure to reduce discharge of pollutants and failure to prevent discharges that could affect public health.

The Pikes Peak and Sangre de Cristo Groups, with the cooperation and support of the Rocky Mountain Chapter, are determined to convert Fountain Creek into the community asset it could and should be, for everyone who lives, works and plays along its banks. Clean water is “Job One”.