Moreover , the long-term impact to landscape and water quality caused by the fire wreaked havoc on communities that rely on the watershed for its water supply . Such was the case with the City of Greeley , a northern Colorado community of over 100,000 people that uses the Poudre River as its main water supply . When the Cameron Peak Fire was finally declared 100 % contained , Greeley ’ s problems were just beginning .
After a wildfire burns , the baked soils can become hydrophobic , meaning they ’ re unable to absorb water . When this happens , more rain becomes stormwater runoff , traveling over the surface of the ground in greater volumes and at greater speeds . Harmful chemicals , ash , sediment , and fire debris wash into the river , degrading water quality .
Water Supply in Jeopardy
Such was the case with the Poudre
River , which runs through the burn scar . Without trees and other vegetation to stabilize sediment and reduce runoff velocities , the river ’ s watershed that supplies drinking water to Greeley became untreatable . For large periods of time since the fire , Greeley ’ s water treatment plant could not operate with such heavily contaminated water , which can clog the system , requiring the City to bypass its water supply in lieu of costlier water sources , explained Randy Gustafson , water resource supply manager for the City of Greeley .
“ Greeley gets the majority of its water from the Poudre River Basin ; it ’ s a main water source for us ,” Gustafson said . “ This cost us money as we have to use other water resources when we bypass our water .”
With so much at stake , Greeley stepped in to take action to improve water quality and keep from passing its increased water costs onto its residents by joining forces with the U . S . Department of Agriculture ’ s Natural Resources Conservation Service ( NRCS ) and becoming a local sponsor for the Emergency Watershed Protection Program , or the EWP . As a local sponsor , Greeley pays a 20 % match , while the NRCS funds 80 % of the costs of the EWP . The main goal of the EWP program is to protect life and property from the threats of erosion , sedimentation , and future floods , which inherently will also provide water quality improvements , said Todd Boldt , EWP coordinator for the NRCS . EWP funds typically are only to be spent on private land . However , the NRCS led a coordinated effort with the U . S . Forest Service ( USFS ) to attain and use EWP funds on federal lands to address the impacts to the Poudre River , which Greeley relies on so much . Five million dollars of NRCS EWP funds
4 | TRENDS Ingenuity , Integrity , and Intelligence .