Aftermath

Aftermath Sessions Discuss Impacts of Wildfires

Assessing our Watersheds and Launching our Recovery

In late 2020, the two largest wildfires in Colorado history burned hundreds of thousands of forested acres in Northern Colorado. The region’s water users may face years of uncertainty regarding the quality and quantity of native supplies, as well as water from the Colorado-Big Thompson and Windy Gap projects. This is truly a watershed moment.

In early December, Northern Water launched a series of "Aftermath" sessions that will discuss the impacts of the year’s consequential fires: Cameron Peak, East Troublesome, Calwood and Left Hand, and how these consequential fires may relate to the availability of regional water supplies in 2021 and beyond.

First Session

Titled "Assessing the Watershed & Launching Our Recovery,“ the first Aftermath session was on Dec. 9 via Zoom webinar. 

Presentations included: 

• Brad Wind, General Manager, Northern Water
• Esther Vincent, Environmental Services Division Director, Northern Water
• Jim Struble, Real Estate and Emergency Manager, Northern Water
• Jerry Gibbens, Operations Division Director, Northern Water
• Lee MacDonald, Professor at Colorado State University
• Christina Burri, Watershed Scientist at Denver Water
• Jen Kovecses, Executive Director of the Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed 
• Greg Dewey, Project Manager, Northern Water

Future Sessions

We will provide two additional Aftermath sessions in the coming months focusing on various aspects of the recovery efforts. Stay tuned for upcoming dates announced here and via email communication.