New partnership to protect U.S. water supply,
resources from wildfire risk
WASHINGTON, D.C., July 23, 2013 -- A new federal, local and private
partnership has been announced by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Secretary Vilsack and U.S. Department of the Interior (Interior)
Secretary Sally Jewell that will reduce the risks of
wildfire to America's water supply in western states.
The Western Watershed Enhancement Partnership is part of President
Obama's
Climate Action Plan, which outlines a comprehensive approach to
reduce carbon pollution and better prepare the United States for the
impacts of
climate change, including increased risk of wildfires and drought.
Through the Western Watershed Enhancement Partnership, the USDA and the
Interior will work together with local water users to identify and
mitigate risks of wildfire to parts of the nation's
water supply, irrigation and hydroelectric facilities. Flows of
sediment, debris and ash into streams and rivers after wildfires can
damage
water quality and often require millions of dollars to repair damage
to habitat, reservoirs and facilities.
USDA's Forest Service and Interior's Bureau of Reclamation will kick off
the new partnership through a pilot in the Upper Colorado Headwaters and
Big Thompson watershed in Northern Colorado. The partnership will
include the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District and Colorado
State Forest Service and builds off of past agreements between the
Forest Service and municipal water suppliers, such as Denver Water's
Forest to Faucets partnership.
"This partnership will increase forest resilience, improve water
quality, and reduce the risk of catastrophic damage from wildfire," said
Vilsack. "This is good news for anyone who pays a water bill, and it is
good news for our environment."
"In the West, more than forty Reclamation dams and facilities are on or
downstream from Forest Service lands where drier, hotter weather has
exacerbated the risk of wildfire," said Jewell. "This partnership can
serve as a model for the West when it comes to collaborative and
targeted fire threat reduction and restoration efforts to protect our
critical water supplies."
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