A very interesting study was done right here in Colorado by
students from the school of Mines. They looked into the Clear Creek Watershed and
how it is affected by wildfires. Specifically they focused the study on the
Golden Water Treatment Plant. Within their study they used GIS software to
analyze which areas are most susceptible to floods and erosion. Then they also
used GIS to determine which areas out of the most susceptible would be the most
prone to wildfires based on vegetation and aspect and slopes. Studies such as
this one are extremely helpful and can be applied to other areas to figure out
just how fires area affecting our water systems and therefore affects us
directly. I think there should be more funding applied to encourage more
studies like this one to be implemented. If we can gain more knowledge on areas
that will be more prone to fires we can also put more effort into fire
prevention in those areas and hopefully keep fires from happening altogether. Research
is the way that we can gain a upper hand and figure out how to make fire work
in our favor rather than against us.
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