Colorado-Big Thompson Project Watershed, Northern Water Show Resilience 5 Years After Fire

By October 2020, Colorado was already weary from wildfires burning across the state. Earlier that summer, the Pine Gulch fire ignited in Mesa and Garfield counties, claiming the title of the largest wildfire in state history and surpassing the 2002 Hayman fire. That record didn’t last long. In Larimer County, the Cameron Peak fire ignited near Chambers Lake and, fueled by extreme heat and dry conditions, spread across 208,913 acres and destroyed 469 structures. It remains the largest wildfire in Colorado’s history to this day.

In Grand County, a wildfire ignited on Oct. 14 in the wilderness northeast of Kremmling, north of the Colorado River. Named the East Troublesome Fire, it crept slowly during its first few days. Then, on Oct. 21, a cold front swept in with hurricane force winds, fueling explosive growth. The blaze surged to 193,000 acres, killing two people and burning more than 550 buildings, making it the second-largest fire in state history. The East Troublesome Fire was declared contained on Nov. 30, 2020, and the Cameron Peak Fire was declared contained on Dec. 2, 2020. 

Both the East Troublesome and Cameron Peak fires damaged portions of the Colorado-Big Thompson Project watersheds, which supply water to more than 1.1 million Front Range residents. This disruption affected operations across both our Collection and Distribution systems.

Northern Water has played a large role in the five years since the fires, helping to implement watershed restoration work to protect life, property and infrastructure, as well as the water quality that Northern Colorado residents rely on. This new video highlights efforts throughout the past five years.