The South Suburban Reservoir at Stratton Open Space park will be closed for maintenance work the rest of 2024 beginning Friday, according to a Colorado Springs Utilities news release.

Good news for hiking enthusiasts of the park: all trails in the park will remain open. Only the chain-link fence around the reservoir will be closed off, likely for the rest of year, according to Utilities.  

The open space park and reservoir are located west of Cheyenne Mountain High School in the southwest portion of Colorado Springs. 

While the surrounding open space land is managed by Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services, the reservoir is operated by Utilities to hold drinking water for the community. It is typically opened to the public in the spring and closes in the fall.

Utilities’ staff reported finding an issue with an outlet pipe at the reservoir last week, according to Wednesday news release. State dam officials also have confirmed the need for repairs, according to the city. 

“While the integrity of the reservoir’s dam remains intact, the outlet must be restored to full functionality so that water can continue to be moved from the reservoir to a treatment plant,” Utilities said in the news release.

The reservoir stores raw water from local watersheds before it is moved to a drinking water treatment facility. The reservoir is slowly being drawn down to prepare for repairs. The utility department says other reservoirs can provide necessary water supplies to the city during the repairs.