Effort begins to consider increasing recreational options to Fountain, Monument creeks in Colorado Springs

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Can you imagine kayaking, tubing or even fly-fishing in the city’s two main waterways? It could happen in the near future.

A private effort has begun to study the possibility of re-designing parts of Fountain and Monument creeks, how to do it and how to pay for it.

NES Inc. — a local private architectural, design and planning firm — is one of five entities working on the plan.

The areas to be studied are Monument Creek from the Popcycle Bridge in Monument Valley Park to Fountain Creek at Cimarron Street, and Fountain Creek from Cimarron Street to Dorchester Park near South Tejon Street.

Seven miles of waterways will be covered in the yearlong study, known as the Fountain Creek Watershed Vision and Implementation Plan

The study will investigate how to upgrade the ecosystem, recreation potential, development opportunity and infrastructure along the creeks; most of the areas are publicly owned.

Another partner in the study is a Denver-based nonprofit group, The Greenway Foundation, which was successful in redeveloping the South Platte River and Cherry Creek as a popular recreation area — overcoming problems with dump sires, raw sewage and paint pollution.

The belief is that Fountain and Monument creeks near downtown have far less serious issues that can be easier to overcome as well as provide more recreation and tourism.

The planning group conducting the study also will cooperate with city officials on the plan.