It might just be the only firing range that can shoot back.

At Pikes Peak Community College’s south campus where local law enforcement officers train and practice, so much lead is buried in the ranges’ earthen berm that bullets have been known to ricochet up to 30 yards back toward the shooters.

“A million bullets is a lot of bullets,” said El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa, referring to the number fired each year.

Since the ranges were last cleaned up in 2005, about 4 million rounds have been fired by Colorado Springs police, sheriff’s deputies and the college’s criminal justice students.

The ranges also are used to practice with the military, he said.

“We’ve had some people hit in the arm or torso, and that’s an indication the berm is at saturation and we need to mine it out,” Maketa said. No one was seriously hurt, but it shows the need to clean up the ranges, he said.

The last cleanup cost roughly $39,000, and drew a half dozen bidders.

But on Monday, 25 contractors flocked to the pre-bid meeting hoping for work in a sagging economy.

“It’s a sign of the times,” said Scott Nelson, a contractor from Pueblo. “Anybody looking for work is going to come out for this.”

Under an agreement with Colorado Springs and the college signed last year, the county took charge of range upkeep.

The agreement calls for each agency to contribute $30 per sworn officer per year, plus a one-time assessment to fund this year’s contract. The per-officer fees will fund routine maintenance as well as future cleanups.

The ranges are used by about 700 Springs cops and 120 deputies who must qualify four times a year, more often if assigned special duty such as SWAT teams. Trainees also use the range to sharpen their skills.

Practice is essential, Maketa said, because, “There’s a huge liability anytime a bullet leaves the barrel.”

All that shooting adds up to a dirt backstop riddled with lead.

This year’s cleanup will be more involved than four years ago, requiring removal of the soil, screening bullet fragments, rebuilding eroded berms and doing drainage work.

The lead will be recycled and the dirt treated, if necessary, to meet EPA standards for firing ranges.

“We want to go back to where we were in 1995” when the range was built, sheriff’s Lt. J.D. Ross told the contractors. “We want to make those berms brand new.”

The range will be closed about a week this summer for the cleanup, Maketa said.

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Lt. J.D. Ross, El Paso County Sheriff’s Dept., holds an example of a lead projectile., as representatives of companies take notes to help them place their bids for a remediation job at the firing range at PPCC. Photo by Jerilee Bennett, The Gazette

Jerilee Bennett