Fountain Creek (Arkansas River tributary)
Fountain Creek is a creek that originates in Woodland Park in Teller County and flows through El Paso County to its confluence with the Arkansas River near Pueblo in Pueblo County, Colorado. The creek, once known as the Fontaine qui Bouille, is a tributary of the Arkansas River. Geography The Fountain Creek Watershed—located in Teller, El Paso, and Pueblo counties—is in area. Its borders are Pikes Peak, the Palmer Divide and a minor divide east of Colorado Springs. Monument Creek, which originates on Rampart Range, is the main tributary. Other key tributaries are Sand Creek and Jimmy Camp Creek. Fountain Creek and its tributaries flow through Woodland Park, Green Mountain Falls, Palmer Lake, Monument, Manitou Springs, Colorado Springs, and Pueblo. Fountain Creek's elevation ranges from from Pikes Peak to where it meets the Arkansas River in Pueblo. With the significant elevation changes, there are diverse ecosystems and extreme temperature and precipitation variations. Recreation areas Within the watershed are regional and local parks, including the Fountain Creek Regional Park and Nature Center in Fountain and the Whitewater Kayak Park in Pueblo, and creekside trails that are used for jogging, hiking, bicycle riding, and viewing wildlife. A future project is the Fountain Creek Eco-Fit Education Park, which is to be located in Colorado Springs, south of the El Pomar Youth Sports Park on 40 acres donated by the City of Colorado Springs in 2011. Connected to areas along the creek using webcam and other Internet technology, the Fountain Creek Eco-Fit Education Park, will provide a means for visitors to learn about the creek through hands-on and interactive play. Fly fisherman have begun to work together in 2019 to bring awareness to Fountain Creek. Through their continuous efforts, fishing has been brought forward as a primary recreational activity on Fountain Creek. Note: catch and release fishing due to poor water quality. Water quality 1999 sewage spill In 1999, 70 million gallons of raw sewage spilled into the creek at Colorado Springs during a flood. Due to a blockage, sewage backed up into houses and wastewater pipes in the sewer system were cracked. "That wiped out our whole wastewater system... We lost about 68 million gallons of wastewater – untreated sewage," said Steve Berry, a spokesman for Colorado Springs Utilities. Between 1988 and 2003, there was a total of 74 million gallons of raw sewage that spilled into Fountain Creek. There were continued sewage spills in 2004. In 2005, there were more than 300,000 gallons of nonpotable water and sewage spills, which resulted in a fine of $130,000 to Colorado Springs Utilities by the Colorado Department of Health. Another 44,000 gallon raw sewage spill into Shooks Run and Fountain Creek on January 5, 2006, producing elevated levels of E. coli in Fountain Creek, resulted in a $10,000 fine for the utility and a required evaluation for how the utility managed sewage blockages within its system. Changes required of the utility to improve the sewage system could cost up to $40 million by 2012. In