A proposed deal would allow the Regional Water Infrastructure Authority to access low-interest bonding for a planned $400-million pipeline to carry raw water from the Pueblo Reservoir to Colorado Springs.

The mayors of Colorado Springs and Fountain, Colo., have proposed a deal to allow the Regional Water Infrastructure Authority to access low-interest bonding for a planned $400 million, 75-million-gallon-per-day pipeline to carry raw water from the Pueblo Reservoir to Colorado Springs, a distance of 50 miles.

The 60-inch-diameter pipeline is to be completed by 2008 and will carry raw water to four communities - Colorado Springs, Fountain, Security and Widefield - according to officials with the Colorado Springs Utilities.

The project is expected to produce enough water to meet a projected population growth from the current 380,000 to 960,000 people by 2040. The plan also calls for building a 250,000 acre-feet-storage unit that will hold enough water for up to three years of current demand to carry the area through dry years.