Karman Line Opposition

On January 28, the Colorado Springs City Council approved another annexation that will add 1,700 acre-feet of water demand per year to Colorado Springs’ existing 34,000 acre-feet per year water supply gap. Most of this water will come from the permanent dry-up of thousands of acres of vital farmland in the Lower Arkansas Valley. We, in the Lower Ark Valley, have seen firsthand the devastating effects permanent dry-up of farmland can have on our communities, environment, economy, culture, heritage, and way of life.

The Karman Line Annexation, approved by a 7-2 vote, involves the annexation of nearly 1,900 acres for the development of 6,500 homes and commercial space 3.5 miles away from Colorado Springs city limits in El Paso County. This type of annexation, known as a flagpole annexation, allows land that is not contiguous to the city to be added. The proposed development will include single-family homes with prices starting at $530,000.

“You (Colorado Springs) ran out of your moral water supply decades ago.”

– Dr. Mike Bartolo

Dr. Mike Bartolo, also testifying at the hearing, pointed out that Colorado Springs' current water-sharing projects have misled the public into believing the city has an abundant water supply and underscored the atrocities that were committed in the past.