A new agreement between Colorado Springs Utilities and Colorado Parks and Wildlife will soon bring camping and boats to Rosemont Reservoir in southeast Teller County.

The Utilities Board of Directors approved the resolution to add the new recreation amenities on Jan. 21.

The reservoir was built by the Broadmoor Hotel in the 1920s and has been owned by Utilities since 1973. Beginning in 2007, Parks and Wildlife has managed the area as a state wildlife area, with seasonal fishing access as the only permitted recreation option. The existing deal will allow the new recreation allowances to be amended into the existing partnership instead of creating a new one from scratch.

April Estep, deputy regional manager for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, said the resolution will allow camping, non-motorized boats and contained campfire pits around the reservoir. Parks and Wildlife agreed to help staff the new facilities and oversee the recreation if Utilities opened up the land.

“This is another opportunity that we can create more campsites and non-motorized boating access that we don’t have in a lot of areas, that people in the Pikes Peak area can come up and enjoy,” Estep said.

Utilities staff said the water from Rosemont was still primarily used for the Broadmoor’s golf course, though some was treated and circulated into the broader city water supply. This meant the area would not allow dogs in the reservoir, which board member Kimberly Gold asked about.

“We do have a lot of activity up there that isn’t always ideal for Colorado Springs Utilities. So I think having something that’s controlled and that CPW is helping us manage is great for us,” Utilities CEO Travas Deal said.

Board member Brian Risley compared the monitored recreation to the South Slope Recreation Area along Pikes Peak, which allowed limited recreation access to replace unofficial uses.

Becky Leinweber, executive director of the Pikes Peak Outdoor Recreation Alliance, complimented the new agreement. Rosemont is not an official part of the alliance’s state-funded projects to expand recreation access around the Pikes Peak region, including the Ring the Peak trail.

Leinweber said the new campsites were in the spirit of those efforts and that some of the future projects would involve similar agreements between Utilities and Parks and Wildlife.

“The land management partnership with Parks and Wildlife is something we’re going to be seeing more of,” Leinweber said.

Estep said the department would eventually add two staff members in the area, a host for the campsite and an official overseeing the entirety of the reservoir.

Parks and Wildlife will install signs and fencing to keep the recreational visitors away from Utilities’ property or the private land near the reservoir. They will also add a new vault toilet that is closer to the campsite than the current bathroom, which is at an off-site parking lot.

Estep told the Utilities Board the months for camping would likely match the fishing season, which is May to October. Some activities at Rosemont Reservoir could begin by the end of the summer, depending on how quickly Parks and Wildlife could process the agreement and set up the area.

The Colorado Springs City Council will have to approve the change in February. The Utilities Board is comprised of City Council members.