HomeMy WebLinkAboutMemo - Mail Packet - 6/1/2021 - Memorandum From Mark Kempton Re: Post-Fire Water Status UpdateM E M O R A N D U M
DATE:May 28, 2021
TO:Mayor Arndt and Councilmembers
FROM:Mark Kempton, Interim
THROUGH:
Kelly DiMartino
Theresa Connor, Interim
RE:Post-Fire Water Status Update
Bottom Line:
In response the Cameron Peak Fire, Fort Collins Utilities continues to coordinate water supply,
water quality, voluntary water restrictions and post-fire watershed recovery strategies to ensure a
holistic and thoughtful approach to best serve our community. Some key updates on Utilities Water
Status (fcgov.com/water-status) include:
Spring snowmelt runoff has begun, and along with it, so have the usual seasonal changes in
water quality. Staff have also observed some early pulses of sediment and ash runoff from the
Cameron Peak Fire burn area that temporarily resulted in additional changes in water quality.
The observed changes in water quality have so far been effectively managed in the pre-
sedimentation and water treatment processes. This has allowed water treatment operators to
continue using a blend of Cache la Poudre (Poudre) River and Horsetooth Reservoir supplies.
Given potential impacts to water quality, the City Manager declared a Water Shortage Watch,
effective April 29, 2021, which promotes awareness and helps prepare customers, should a
water shortage occur.
Clarity with processes and policies regarding our ability to conduct watershed recovery work on
United States Forest Service (USFS) lands has been achieved, yet funding challenges remain.
Utilities’ staff continue to work with local, regional, and national partners on watershed
recovery actions and related funding and are targeting mid-July 2021 for hillslope stabilization
and other erosion and sediment control measures to begin.
Background:
Water Quality and Other Water Shortage Indicators
As was seen in the years following High Park Fire of 2012, summer rainstorms over burned areas
can threaten the quality and reliability of the river water supply by mobilizing ash and sediment
from the surrounding hillslopes and depositing it in downstream reservoirs and directly into the
Poudre. In anticipation of once again seeing water quality degradation from Cameron Peak Fire
runoff, Utilities staff have installed a series of water quality surveillance instruments in the upper
Poudre and at the City’s intake facility. This system alerts water treatment operators to changes in
upstream water quality, providing adequate time to bypass river flows at the intake until water
quality improves.
Watershed Recovery Timeline and Funding
The cities of Greeley and Fort Collins, Larimer County, the Coalition for the Poudre River
Watershed and other water supply stakeholders continue efforts in working with two federal
agencies, the National Resource Conservation Service and the USFS on the various approval
processes to allow use of Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP)funds for hillslope stabilization
work on publicly owned lands.
As mentioned in previous Fort Collins City Council updates, debris-flow/hydrologic modeling and
watershed risk assessments show $19M to potentially more than $45M of hillslope stabilization and
erosion control work are needed to minimize impacts to water infrastructure, water quality, and
public safety this spring and summer, with additional restoration work likely needed in the coming
years. The Cities of Fort Collins and Greeley and Larimer County have entered into an
Intergovernmental Agreement that defines cost-sharing roles and responsibilities to address the
requirements of providing local matching funds for the EWP grant program. Please see Attachment
A for funding and cost details. Attachment B provides a watershed recovery timeline.
Please continue to visit the Fort Collins Utilities Water Status website (fcgov.com/water-status)for
the most up to date information.
CC: Liesel Hans, Interim Utilities Deputy Director
Gretchen Stanford, Interim Utilities Deputy Director, Customer Connections
Jill Oropeza, Director Water Quality Services
Donnie Dustin, Utilities Water Resources Manager
Mariel Miller, Water Conservation Specialist
City of Fort Collins Water Commission
Attachment A
Watershed and Water Treatment Costs and Funding Graphic
Attachment B
Watershed Recovery Timeline