HomeMy WebLinkAboutMemo - Mail Packet - 1/5/2021 - Memorandum From Jared Heath Re: 2020 Fall Water Quality Update - Upper Cache La Poudre WatershedUtilities
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700 Wood Street
PO Box 580
Fort Collins, CO 80522
970.221.6700
970.221.6619 – fax
970.224.6003 – TDD
utilities@fcgov.com
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M E M O R A N D U M
DATE:December 18, 2020
TO:Mayor Troxell and Councilmembers
FROM:Jared Heath, Watershed Specialist
THROUGH:Darin Atteberry, City Manager
Theresa Connor, Interim Utilities Executive Director
RE:2020 Fall Water Quality Update – Upper Cache la Poudre Watershed
Bottom Line:
In the shared interest of monitoring the Upper Cache la Poudre (CLP) River drinking water
supply, the City of Fort Collins, the City of Greeley, and Soldier Canyon Water Treatment
Authority partnered in 2008 to implement the Upper CLP Collaborative Watershed Monitoring
Program. The goal of this monitoring effort is to assist the participants in meeting current and
future drinking water treatment goals by reporting current water quality conditions and trends
within the Upper CLP watershed. The attached water quality update provides a summary of
temperature, precipitation, streamflow, and water quality conditions monitored in the Upper CLP
watershed during the fall months of September, October and November in 2020.
Background:
The seasonal water quality updates are designed to inform the Upper CLP Watershed
Collaborative Monitoring Program partners, their customers, and other community stakeholders
about the condition of our source watershed and the quality of the raw drinking water supply.
This seasonal reporting effort began in 2015 to provide a succinct and timely summary of
current-year conditions in the Upper CLP Watershed. Seasonal updates are published for the
spring, summer, and fall seasons. In depth water quality reporting is done through annual and
five-year technical reports. All water quality reports and seasonal updates are made publicly
available on the Fort Collins Utilities website,
fcgov.com /source-water-monitoring.
Fall 2020 Highlights:
Over the fall 2020 season, the Upper CLP watershed continued to be a reliable, high quality
drinking water source for the City of Fort Collins. The Upper CLP Watershed continued to
experience above average air temperature and below average precipitation over the fall 2020
season. The average air temperature measured 3.6degrees Fahrenheit warmer than average at the
Joe Wright Snow Telemetry Station near Cameron Pass and ranked as the second hottest fall on
record (41 years). Precipitation measured only 58 percent of average and ranked as the second
driest on record. Streamflow at the Cache la Poudre River near the Canyon Mouth
(CLAFTCCO) stream gage measured 9,053 acre-feet, which was less than half the long-term
average (49%). Despite low streamflow, and hot and dry conditions in the Upper CLP
watershed, all water quality indicators at key monitoring sites along the Upper CLP River were
measured within the range of baseline conditions indicating normal water quality conditions on
the Poudre River during the fall 2020 season.
The Cameron Peak wildfire ignited on Thursday, August 13, near Chambers Lake in the upper
elevations of CLP watershed near Cameron Pass. The Cameron Peak wildfire is the largest
wildfire in Colorado’s history, burning just under 209,000 acres across both the Cache la Poudre
and Big Thompson watersheds as of Saturday, December 5th when it was declared 100%
contained. Fall water quality monitoring did not indicate any immediate water quality impacts
from the Cameron Peak Wildfire to the City’s Poudre River drinking water source .
During the winter of 2020-2021, partners within the Upper CLP Watershed Collaborative Water
Quality Monitoring Program will be determining whether adding additional water quality
sampling study locations would be useful for monitoring post-fire impacts on water quality from
the Cameron Peak wildfire. Partners will also be working closely with other stakeholders to
address shared goals focused on understanding post-fire water quality impacts from the Cameron
Peak wildfire.
CC: Water Board
Mark Kempton, Interim Utilities Deputy Director - Water Resources and Treatment
Operations
Liesel Hans, Interim Utilities Deputy Director - Water Resources and Treatment
Operations
Jill Oropeza, Water Quality Services Manager, Utilities
Richard Thorp, Watershed Program Manager, Utilities
fcgov.com/water-quality
Monitoring and Protecting Our Water SourcesWater Quality Update | Fall 2020
Water Quality Update | Fall 2020
fcgov.com/water-quality
Period of
Record
Temperature
2020 (ºF) Average (ºF) Departure (ºF) 2020 Rank
September 47.0 44.6 2.4 7th (H)
October 39.0 34.8 4.2 3rd (H)
November 29.0 24.6 4.4 6th (H)
Fall 38.3 34.7 3.6 2nd (H)
Period of Record
Total Precipitation
2020
(inches)
Average
(inches) % average 2020 Rank
September 0.9 2.9 31% 3rd (D)
October 2.4 3.7 66% 10th (D)
November 3.2 4.4 73% 12th (D)
Fall 6.5 11.3 58% 2nd (D)
Water Quality Update | Fall 2020
fcgov.com/water-quality
Water Quality Update | Fall 2020
fcgov.com/water-quality
Water Quality Indicator Explanation
Temperature
Water temperature influences other water quality parameters and
is a major driver of biological activity and algal growth in rivers,
including certain phytoplankton species that produce the taste
and odor compounds, geosmin and 2-methlyisoborneol.
pH
pH is an important water quality parameter to monitor, because it
influences the solubility and biological availability of chemical
constituents, including nutrients and heavy metals. pH near 7 is
considered neutral, with more acidic conditions occurring below 7
and more basic, or alkaline, conditions occurring above 7.
Specific Conductivity
Conductivity is an index of dissolved ionic solids in water.
Conductivity is used as a general measure of water quality.
Significant increases in conductivity can be used as an indicator
of increased pollution.
Turbidity
Turbidity is monitored to track changes in water clarity. Clarity is
influenced by the presence of algae and/or suspended solids
introduced to surface waters through various land use activities,
including runoff and erosion, urban stormwater runoff and
drainage from agricultural lands. For water treatment, turbidity is
an important indicator of the amount of suspended material that is
available to harbor pollutants, such as heavy metals, bacteria,
pathogens, nutrients and organic matter.
Water Quality Update | Fall 2020
fcgov.com/water-quality
Water Quality Update | Fall 2020
fcgov.com/water-quality