Work on Pueblo Levee Project Faces Slight Delay

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Looking downriver at the Arkansas River and Pueblo Levee Mural near the 4th Street Bridge.
Shanna Lewis / 91.5 KRCC
Looking downriver at the Arkansas River and Pueblo Levee Mural near the 4th Street Bridge.

The start of a massive repair project on the Arkansas River levee in Pueblo is being delayed until December due to historic preservation concerns and some delays in the funding. 

The project’s consulting engineer Kim Kock says the state historic preservation officer has said the levee could be deemed historic because it was constructed in response to the deadly 1921 floods and used methods of that time period.

The planned repairs involve lowering the height of the levee, which would adversely affect its historic nature. The mural painted on the levee will also be destroyed by the repairs but does not meet historic guidelines.

The conservancy district is working with the Army Corps of Engineers to mitigate these concerns and other potential impacts to surrounding historic sites. The district expects to have the funding in place in December.