The Pueblo Conservancy District is moving forward to find a contractor for the next phase of work to repair the Arkansas River Levee.
Contractors will need to remove 12 feet of dirt and concrete from the top of the existing levee. Consulting engineer Kim Kock says some of the material will be used to build an extension to the levee on Wild Horse Creek, which flows into the Arkansas.
"The dirt will come off to use on Wild Horse first," says Kock, "and the remainder can be used for whatever purpose the contractor who gets the bid has for it."
Several projects could use the excess soil, including a marijuana grow operation and the construction on I-25. Proceeds from the reuse of the extra dirt, enough to fill two football fields ten feet high, will be used to offset the cost of the levee reconstruction.
Work on the levee is expected to resume in February.
