YOUR AD HERE »

Helicopter mulching to begin next week on parts of burn scar

Sky-Hi News staff report
news@skyhinews.com

Emergency Watershed Protection Program partners for the East Troublesome Fire will begin another round of aerial helicopter mulching operations starting next week.

Northern Water will coordinate mulching on 2,200 acres of U.S. Forest Service property in the burn area to mitigate wildfire effects of sedimentation and debris flows and risk to downstream life and property, according to a release.

Work will start Monday on targeted, high-risk areas on the Arapaho Roosevelt National Forest in the Supply Creek Watershed, tributary to the North Fork of the Colorado River, to stabilize hill slopes and protect private structures, roadways and water infrastructure located downstream.



A similar effort occurred in July on about 2,300 acres of private property in severely affected watersheds surrounding Willow Creek Reservoir and areas within Trail Creek drainages.

The release said this work at upstream locations adds a layer of protection to existing projects on private land, including sediment and debris management, flood protection and pre-existing debris removal that are currently undergoing design and construction using the emergency watershed protection funds.



This project is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service Emergency Watershed Protection Program, which Northern Water and Grand County are co-sponsoring for the East Troublesome Fire recovery area.

Funding for this aerial mulching will be paid at 75% through the EWP Program and 25% by Northern Water. However, a grant from Colorado Water Conservation Board will be utilized to offset Northern Water’s local match requirement, the release said.

Local residents and visitors can expect truck traffic and helicopter activity in the area for approximately three weeks. For more information, visit the Grand County Watershed Recovery website at http://www.GCWatershedRecovery.com.


Support Local Journalism

Support Local Journalism

The Sky-Hi News strives to deliver powerful stories that spark emotion and focus on the place we live.

Over the past year, contributions from readers like you helped to fund some of our most important reporting, including coverage of the East Troublesome Fire.

If you value local journalism, consider making a contribution to our newsroom in support of the work we do.