Piňon Rest Area reopens next week

PUEBLO COUNTY – The southbound Piňon Rest Area begins serving travelers again on Monday morning, August 5.

Located along Interstate 25, about nine miles north of Pueblo, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) closed the rest area last November to replace the customary septic system for a new, environmentally-friendly sewer system.

The area now features a new waterless sewage system that turns waste into evaporated water and nitrates for fertilizer.  A basement was built underneath the rest area that contains wood bark from Ponderosa pine trees.  Micro-organisms in the bark naturally and quickly decompose the waste.

“This system is expected to save up to 1.5-million gallons of water a year,” said CDOT Maintenance Foreman Chuck Decker.  “Those savings will be achieved by using water-free toilets and urinals, limited water in the sinks and a mild watering system that’ll be used to keep the bark damp.”

The $500,000 project also includes upgraded landscaping.

Information regarding CDOT projects is available at www.coloradodot.info/travel/scheduled-lane-closures.html or by calling 511.  To receive updates about road conditions or projects via e-mail, visit www.coloradodot.info and click on the cell-phone icon in the upper right-hand corner.  The link takes you to a list of items you can subscribe to, including Southeast Colorado.