Buc-ee’s Palmer Lake Site Proposed Commercial Travel Center Environmental Assessment
Executive Summary
Buc-ee’s is proposing a commercial travel center in El Paso County, Colorado. The proposed 24.9-acre commercial travel center raises two primary environmental concerns: impacts to aquatic resources and adverse effects on big game populations.
HWA Wildlife Consulting, LLC conducted an environmental assessment of the proposed travel center project site by assessing big game habitat and wetland and riparian habitat.
The proposed project includes a 77,303 square foot facility, 120 fueling stations, 828 parking spaces, stormwater detention infrastructure, a retaining wall, and utility installations.
The project will introduce substantial increases in water runoff, vehicle traffic (22,150 daily weekday trips), noise, and lighting. These factors present both direct and indirect risks to sensitive ecosystems and wildlife corridors in the region.
The site’s topography and proximity to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) designated aquatic High Priority Habitat (HPH), located 0.25 miles downslope, raise concerns about contamination from stormwater runoff and fuel-related pollutants.
Fuel spills are inevitable at the proposed site, especially given the high number of planned fueling pumps. These spills can release toxic hydrocarbons, including benzene, toluene, and xylene, which are known to contaminate soil, surface water, and groundwater and pose serious ecological and human health risks.
Spills at the site could have significant impacts to groundwater, nearby streams, and the CPW-designated aquatic HPH located approximately 0.25 miles downgradient of the project site.
Furthermore, the project site is located within habitat for elk and mule deer, including resident populations, summer ranges, concentration areas, and highway crossing habitats. It is located less than a mile from two major I-25 wildlife underpasses—Monument Hill and Dogleg—that provided over 4,000 mule deer crossing attempts during 2022–2023.
The Greenland Wildlife Overpass is a new overpass designed to support long-term elk herd connectivity and is visible from the project site, which may impede big game movement along the overpass. Direct habitat loss (24.9 acres) combined with increased traffic, human presence, and visibility of the project site may cause avoidance of these wildlife crossings and the surrounding habitats.
A GIS-based viewshed analysis shows much of the region’s critical big game habitat, including the Greenland Overpass, big game HPHs, the approaches to the Dogleg Underpass, and the adjacent wildlife escape ramp, is within direct line-of-sight of the project.
This visual and auditory exposure from the proposed project could lead to avoidance behaviors, habitat fragmentation, increased mortality from vehicle collisions, and reduced wildlife movements between seasonal ranges for big game species.
The proposed Buc-ee’s travel center’s scale, location, and associated vehicle traffic presents risks to both aquatic ecosystems and big game movement corridors. According to this assessment, the proposed project could negatively impact aquatic and big game habitat within the surrounding area.