Fish Creek Watershed Wildfire Protection Plan

Why Does It Matter?

Wildfires burn vegetation and alter soil properties, causing rainfall to run-off rather than soak in to the soil. With the loss of vegetation and root systems, landscapes can easily erode. Consequently, rainfall in burned watersheds often produces floods that carry debris, sediment, ash, and contaminants into water sources.

This has implications for water supply. Sediment fills reservoirs, decreasing storage capacities. Debris, sediment, ash and contaminants lower water quality, making the water more difficult and expensive to treat and make safe for drinking and cause unwanted tastes and odors.

The Plan - Protecting Our Water

With the increasing frequency and severity of wildfires resulting from the cumulative impacts of climate change, overgrown forests, and pest infestations, managers of surface water supply systems in forested watersheds must address wildfire impacts when planning for water security
Steamboat Springs’ water is sourced from the Fish Creek basin, a heavily forested watershed, vulnerable to wildfire.
The basin provides over 90 percent of the community’s drinking water; and, the direct drainage to the Fish Creek Filtration Plant (FCFP) is located entirely within Routt National Forest (RNF).