Smell at Cottonwood Creek not a risk

QUESTION: There is a major project taking place near the restrooms at Cottonwood Park. For weeks the diesel and chemical fumes have overpowered the soccer fields. Is this safe for all the kids and their families? We were told some pipes are being coated with a protective covering.
- Concerned Grandma

ANSWER: The work at Cottonwood Creek has been completed and was part of Colorado Springs Utilities’ wastewater creek-crossing project. It was one of 20 areas identified as “critical” last fall after storm overflows broke pipes and wastewater dumped into creeks. The crossings are being stabilized and reinforced and the smell was probably the materials used to rehab the pipe, according to utilities spokesman Steve Berry. There was odor but no risk. More wastewater creek-crossing improvements will be done in older areas with clay pipes.