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<br />Feasibility Study <br />City of Manitou Springs <br />Shady Dell/Creighton Spring Project <br /> <br />Introduction (Need for the Project) <br /> <br />The City of Manitou Springs is the site of numerous mineral springs that have been significant in <br />the history of EI Paso County, The rates of flow of the springs vary considerably, with some only <br />producing 4 to 5 gallons per hour, The Creighton Spring on the Shady Dell property has the <br />highest flow rate at 60 gallons per minute, Over the years, the wellhead of Creighton has <br />deteriorated, If it were to rupture, there is a considerable danger of depleting the aquifers that feed <br />many of the springs in the area, <br /> <br />Project Sponsor <br /> <br />The City of Manitou Springs was incorporated in 1876, During the latter part of the nineteenth <br />century and the early years of the twentieth century, the Cit was a popular spa and resort <br />destination, The springs were a central part of this activity, After World War I, interest in the <br />springs declined and many of the springs fell into disuse and disrepair, Within the last two <br />decades, there has been a resurgence of interest in the unique resource provided by the <br />springs and the efforts of restoring and preserving them has been very capably led by the <br />Mineral Springs Foundation, <br /> <br />Project Service Area and Facilities <br /> <br />The Shady Dell property and the Creighton Spring are west of the historic center of the City, <br />Development and updating has not been as active here as in other parts of the City, nor has <br />there been as much activity in construction of public projects here, The City anticipates <br />demolishing the old motel, much of which is no longer habitable, doing whatever work is <br />necessary to put the spring wellhead into good condition, and then creating a small park around <br />the spring. <br /> <br />Hydrology and Water Rights <br /> <br />The Creighton Spring is the only mineral spring for which there has been an adjudication of <br />rights. Records of the State Engineer's Office indicate that total average annual diversions are <br />acre-feet, based on record years _ through _, and that the maximum diversion <br />rate was _ cfs for record years . A summary of water rights and <br />the State Engineer Diversion records for 2000, 2001 and 2002 are found in Appendix C, <br />