FORT COLLINS – Hoping that cooperation can replace money when it comes to wildfire protection, two Cabinet secretaries signed an agreement Friday to work together to prevent fire debris from clogging Western reservoirs.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Interior Secretary Sally Jewell inked the agreement in front of the symbolic backdrop of Horsetooth Reservoir above Fort Collins. Black and red remains of burned trees from two recent wildfires loomed over the reservoir, a reminder that fires lead to erosion that clogs water pipes.
The agreement is designed to get around bureaucratic barriers and get going on forest thinning projects to prevent fires, and restoration projects after a fire.
“It will improve water quality, it will protect habitat, and we believe, over time, it will reduce fire risk,” Vilsack said.
For the Forest Service, the agreement means moving quickly in response to fires like the West Fork Complex.
“We’re concerned about the Rio Grande River and the headwater area there. We’re going to be aggressive in our conservation efforts to make sure we maintain the quality and the safety of that water supply,” Vilsack said.
The agreement is modelled on one between the Forest Service and Denver Water, which had to pay $26 million to unclog pipes in its mountain reservoirs after the 2002 Hayman Fire.
The agencies plan to replicate it throughout the western United States, beginning with six pilot projects.
Despite years of a general awareness of the threat wildfires pose to water systems, the inter-agency agreement was just signed Friday. In an interview with Colorado Public Radio, Vilsack said he didn’t know why it took so long, but it is better late than never.
Together, Vilsack’s and Jewell’s agencies manage 18,000 square miles of forests in Colorado, the Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service oversees much of the West’s wildfire zones, while the Department of the Interior runs the major dams through its Bureau of Reclamation.
Federal firefighting and wildfire prevention budgets have been in disarray for years, with money constantly shifting to combating fires and away from forest thinning. The secretaries did not announce any new funding to pay for cooperative projects Friday.
“We have limited federal resources. We have limited state and local resources. All governmental agencies are struggling. This is one example of how we can work together to make our dollars go father,” Jewell said.
Both secretaries made it clear they would be depending on state and local governments for help.
“It’s also a partnership with private individuals,” Jewell said. “When we choose to live in these beautiful landscapes that are all around us, we also have to take responsibility to clear hazardous fuels around our structures.”
joeh@cortezjournal.com