| U.S. News

Residents along and near Fountain Creek claim sewage spills from Colorado Springs have seriously contaminated the water. Pueblo District Attorney Bill Theibaut and the Sierra Club filed federal lawsuits against the city of Colorado Springs last October and December, respectively, claiming that Colorado Springs has violated the Clean Water Act. The two suits were combined in March.

A recent proposal to build a dam that could provide a buffer for Colorado Springs refuse was dismissed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

As the tension between the two cities has increased and with no solution in sight, Bishops Sheridan and Tafoya felt it was time for the church to step in and encourage collaboration toward an answer to the problem.

"We're here to give moral support so that people will come together and see how they can really try to solve the water issue," Bishop Tafoya said at a press conference Aug. 17 at the Catholic Pastoral Center in Colorado Springs.

"It involves health, agriculture and communities coming together," he added. "People need to know what's going on, and I think we need to involve everybody to see how this can be resolved."

In the statement, the bishops emphasize "the moral and ethical responsibilities we all share to find equitable and effective solutions."

"Fountain Creek has become an effluent-driven stream. Its flows are dominated by discharges from sewage treatment facilities and storm-water conduits," the statement said. "As our communities grow, those flows and the contaminants they carry will increase, and the risks of downstream flooding, human health problems and natural resource damages will increase as well.

"Access to safe and clean water is a right of every person," it said. "It is our moral responsibility to ensure that the water that we discharge into our waterways is not polluted."

At the press conference, Bishop Sheridan said that, while the bishops are not proposing particular solutions, "one thing we don't think will work is if it's just done piecemeal if particular interests have their sway. We want to try to call and be supportive of all of those who live along Fountain Creek, all who have a stake in the table. With that common effort and with God's help, we can make an asset out of what so often now appears as a liability."

Bishop Tafoya defended the church's involvement in the issue, saying it is a moral issue "because it affects the lives of people. It also affects their livelihood."

Added Bishop Sheridan: "Ecology is not just a matter of science or something for politicians to take care of. We have a moral responsibility to care for the earth."

Bishop Tafoya called for more members of the affected communities to get involved in resolving the problem.

"They're the ones who should be taking the lead. We're here to say, 'Please do something,'" he said. "We are concerned as pastors that people be served well, that people are cared for. We look at all the issues, from agriculture to health, and how it affects the lives of people."

Bishop Sheridan said, "Insofar as our voices as pastors of these two local churches can encourage, can lift people's hopes that something can be done, that's the voice we want to give."