Desert Hawk Golf Course in Pueblo West needs a $3.5 million sprinkler system

The Desert Hawk Golf Course in Pueblo West is losing millions of gallons of water due to leaks from its 60-year-old sprinkler system. It will cost an estimated $3.5 million to replace it.

During a March 20 meeting of the Desert Hawk Management Board, the board voted unanimously to outline the scope of work and put out a request for bids to obtain an engineer's proposal and design to replace the sprinkler system. The report is expected to cost about $60,000.

Representatives of CPS Distributors, which offers irrigation supplies, told the board that 40 years is the normal life expectancy for a sprinkler system. Desert Hawk's 60-year-old system features an asbestos mainline which other golf courses are moving away from due to inefficiency and safety concerns for workers.

The sprinkler system would also need a new pump station, which can monitor water use and allow for shut downs to lines that are leaking.

Desert Hawk was purchased in 2000 by Pueblo County and the Pueblo West Metro District with $7.2 million in certificates of participation as part of an intergovernmental agreement designed to save the failing golf course, which was previously operated by a string of private owners. 

More: Heavy rains giving Pueblo West's Desert Hawk Golf Course a break on the water bill

Chieftain reporter Tracy Harmon covers business news. She can be reached by email at tharmon@chieftain.com or via X, formerly Twitter, at twitter.com/tracywumps. Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Why Desert Hawk Golf Course needs a new, $3.5 million sprinkler system