During the last two winters in Pueblo, contractors removed the top of the nearly 3 mile long Arkansas River levee and rebuilt about a quarter of it. Work to upgrade the embankment along a major tributary is nearing completion too.
Rick Kidd, who administers the district that oversees the levee, says the total project will end up costing more than the original estimates.
“We have repair work that is more serious than we what were originally aware of and so now we are looking at somewhere around $20 million dollars,” he said.
City officials have applied for grants to fund expanded recreation on the river and guidelines for painting murals on the levee are also in the works. The next phase of construction is expected to start in early November.
