On Tuesday, the Monument Town Council voted to prevent any use of the town’s water north of the Palmer Divide, a geographical feature on the border of El Paso and Douglas Counties.

The move came out of a desire to prevent roadblocks to renewable water projects, said Councilman Steve King.

“This is just a proactive measure to prevent issues in the future,” he said.

While the council did not discuss impacts to any particular land use, the area’s most divisive project of the past two years sits at the top of the Palmer Divide.

For more than a year, developers have been attempting to annex a parcel at the intersection of Interstate 25 and Palmer Divide Road into the nearby town of Palmer Lake to build a Buc-ee’s travel center. The property sits near a point locally known as Monument Hill.

Plans for the Texas travel chain’s second Colorado location have riled the community, raising concerns about increased traffic, light pollution and water use. A key reason for the annexation would have been access to the town’s water system. Developers pulled the annexation request earlier this month.

A project consultant said that developers were “exploring all of their options.”

King said that blocking use of Monument water north of the divide adhered to a requirement for one of the renewable water projects the town might pursue. He said that the Northern Delivery System, which went online in 2024 and supplies water to thousands in the east part of the town through Triview Metropolitan District, restricts water use north of the divide due to drainage concerns. The divide splits water draining into the Arkansas and South Platte River Basins.

The land proposed for Buc-ee’s remains in unincorporated El Paso County. No plans have yet been announced about the project’s next steps after withdrawing from Palmer Lake. Monument is south of the property and southeast of Palmer Lake.

Tuesday’s resolution gives the Monument town manager “sole administrative authority” to determine whether a specific site is or isn’t north of the divide, a decision that “shall be final.” It’s unclear where the Buc-ee’s property would fall under the new rule.

Groundwater wells, which are depleting, currently supply the west side of Monument. The town has been exploring sources of renewable surface water, which requires buying water rights and building new infrastructure.

The town has considered the NDS and the Loop, a proposal that would cycle surface water flowing down the Fountain Creek watershed back up through several water districts. Monument has not committed to either plan.

The Palmer Divide is the highest point of I-25 between Colorado Springs and Castle Rock. It is typically mentioned in concert with winter weather, which is often more acute as the elevation increases.

Beyond the divide to the north lie thousands of acres of undeveloped ranchland protected through conservation easements in Douglas County.

Councilman Marco Fiorito said the move to block water use was a “good idea” for future water negotiations.

“I think this is a good first step,” he said.