Through a lease agreement with the state, Bellevue Utilities owns, operates and maintains the Pikes Peak Reservoir and Pump Station facilities in Bridle Trails State Park. Bellevue Utilities is planning to replace the reservoir and relocate the pump station. This is a high-priority project because these valuable water system assets provide water service reliability and fire protection to the residents of the Bridle Trails and Cherry Crest neighborhoods.
Utilities has evaluated the existing reservoir and pump station and determined they are not up to current seismic and operating standards and are nearing the end of their useful lives. Utilities took a collaborative approach over the initial phase of this project to evaluate alternatives and select an option to improve the reservoir and pump station.
The preferred alternative is to replace the existing Pikes Peak reservoir and relocate the pump station to facilities in Cherry Crest. The aging Cherry Crest Pump Station facility, located in Cherry Crest Mini Park along 127th Avenue NE, will be replaced starting in the fall of 2019 and will serve both the Cherry Crest and Pikes Peak neighborhoods.
Construction of the Cherry Crest Pump Station is on schedule and expected to be complete by the Fall of 2020. Once the new station is in operation, construction of the Pikes Peak Reservoir Replacement can begin. Pikes Peak Reservoir construction is anticipated to begin in late 2020 or early 2021 and is estimated to last 12-14 months.
This project is part of our rehabilitation or replacement programs, established to maintain the area’s water service infrastructure. Pikes Peak Reservoir has been identified as one of the more seismically deficient reservoirs in the system and is a high priority.
Collaborative Evaluation Process
Utilities evaluated proposed improvements for replacement of the reservoir and pump station within the existing area of the state park. To ensure the Pikes Peak Reservoir replacement project is a collaborative effort, the project team gathered public input through a Community Advisory Group, made up of key stakeholders and interested individuals who live near and/or use the facilities. The Community Advisory Group met seven times from December 2016 through September 2017 to discuss community priorities and project alternatives. Utilities also hosted an open house for the general public and briefed the Bridle Trails Community Club to share information about the project. From this process, a preferred alternative was mutually selected.
New Reservoir Preliminary Design
Pictured below is a computer-generated render of the proposed Pikes Peak Reservoir, which will be constructed of concrete (the existing reservoir is steel). Over a period of several months, using a collaborative process through the CAG, the Utilities design team arrived at the proposed design. The proposed reservoir will be in the same footprint as the existing reservoir. The proposed concrete reservoir will also require less maintenance over the life of the facility vs. the existing steel reservoir, meaning less disturbance to the surrounding community in the long term.
This rendering highlights the reservoir design. Additional landscaping, including the restoration of plants, grass and trees, is not shown.
Project Documents
- Community Advisory Group, December 2019 Meeting Summary
- Community Advisory Group, June 2019 Meeting Summary
- Project Fact Sheet, Summer 2018
- Project Fact Sheet, Spring 2017
- FAQ, Spring 2017
- Community Advisory Group, December 2016 Meeting Summary
- Community Advisory Group, January 2017 Meeting Summary
- Community Advisory Group, March 2017 Meeting Summary
- Community Advisory Group, May 2017 Meeting Summary
- Community Advisory Group, June 2017 Meeting Summary
- Open House Materials, June 2017
- Community Advisory Group, September 2017 Meeting Summary
- Community Advisory Group, August 2018 Meeting Summary