COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) – Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) says they will try to attract beavers back to Pikes Peak as part of a restoration plan to improve water quality.

According to CSU, beavers’ tendency to alter water flow will help reduce sedimentation in the water and prevent many pollutants from entering their reservoirs where they store water.

“We are very excited about this project…Now we are able to carry out this low-tech process of…space restoration. Protect our spring water and improve environmental benefits,” said Annie Berlemann, CSU Fountain Creek project manager.

If they do return to the mountain, according to the CSU, it would be the first time since 2005, almost 20 years since they inhabited the area.

In the plan, CSU will remove some of the area’s conifers and replace them with aspens, a food source for beavers. Fake dams and habitats are also created in the hope that beavers will want to inhabit them. The project will cost a total of nearly $3 million, $1.37 million of which will be funded through a grant from the Colorado Water Conservation Board.

Development will begin in the fall of 2025 and is expected to be completed by the end of 2026, when it is hoped to see the first signs of the species’ return.

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