Risk to critical watersheds the focus of Thursday forum

Summit County, CO Colorado

SUMMIT COUNTY - Fire-prone conditions in local forests not only threaten local homes, but present a substantial risk to critical watersheds.

A big fire could literally bake the soil and vaporize organic material, making the ground nearly impervious to water, said Brad Piehl, a Summit County landscape forester who worked on ecosystem planning in the wake of the 2002 Hayman fire.

That scenario could have disastrous consequences not only for local water supplies, but for Denver Water's Dillon Reservoir, filled with water from Summit County streams. Sediment loading after a fire could require extensive and expensive water treatment.

Piehl will join several other experts in a Thursday forum to discuss risks to local water supplies. The panel also includes Marc Waage, a Denver Water planner; Lane Wyatt, water quality expert with the Northwest Colorado Council of Governments; Scott Hummer, state water commissioner for the Blue River Basin; and Jim Pokrandt, of the Colorado River Water Conservation District.

Patti McGuire, Summit County's fire mitigation officer, as well as county commissioners Bob French and Thomas Davidson, will also be on hand to lend their perspectives to the subject.

Other watershed-related aspects to be discussed include the impacts of increased water demand, revised water quality standards, the changing status of the Colorado River, new reservoirs, proposed pump back systems and acid mine drainage.

Together, the panel will try to find consensus on what can be done to ensure an adequate supply of clean water in the long run.

"What we're trying to most avoid are the catastrophic effects of a wildfire," Piehl said, explaining that local streams could become overloaded with sediment and ash after a major blaze.

"There is a need for a long-term, watershed-wide forest landscape plan, said Howard Hallman, of Our Future Summit, who will co-moderate the panel with Christina Plemmons, executive director for the Blue River Watershed Group.

"It's important to protect the entire watershed, and the forest is a big part of that," Hallman said. Targeting key areas that are susceptible to fire and runoff is a critical part of developing the landscape-level plan, Hallman said. Identifying specific areas is critical, given that there are limited resources available for treatments, he added.

Pinpointing those areas is part of what Piehl is working on. And while it may seem a daunting task in an area marked by numerous streams, all of which feed critical reservoirs and water supply systems, Piehl said there are some important factors to look for.

Depending on soil type, some areas are more susceptible to the devastating baked-earth scenario. Piehl said existing soil surveys show where those are.

Also important are stream configuration and slope angle, as well as the fire hazard, based on fuel loading and stand condition.

Steep side drainages, feeding into the Blue River and the Snake River, could dump big sediment loads after a fire. The same risk exists in parts of Straight Creek, the primary water source for the Town of Dillon, Piehl said.

"That's kind of the doomsday scenario, but it could happen," Piehl said, describing the type of erosion and sediment loading that followed the Hayman fire a few years ago.

Both Hallman and Piehl said it's a question of focusing resources and concentrating on logging and thinning in areas where they will do the most good, not only for reducing the risk to homes, but to protecting water supplies and quality.



BOX:

Got Water? Protecting Summit County's Forested Watersheds

When and Where: Thursday, 7 p.m., Summit County Community and Senior Center, County Commons. Doors open at 6:30, with light snacks.



Bob Berwyn can be reached at (970) 331-5996, or bberwyn@summitdaily.com.