Longmont City Council Tuesday night unanimously approved giving $134,000 to the Left Hand Watershed Center to help Boulder County communities recover from the Cal-Wood fire that burned over 10,000 acres in October 2020.
The fire burned areas of the Left Hand and South St. Vrain watersheds, both of which eventually drain into Longmont while the South St. Vrain provides raw water supplies to the city’s water treatment plant, according to a city staff report.
After the Cal-Wood fire, the Left Hand Watershed Center helped create a stakeholder coalition aimed at fire recovery efforts. The coalition — known as the St. Vrain Forest Health Partnership — includes natural resource scientists, community organizations and land management agencies including the city of Longmont, the staff report states.
The recovery efforts received needed funding from the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Emergency Watershed Protection program. “Together, these efforts have resulted in significant progress in protecting and restoring the burned areas; however, continued support and investment will be needed to maintain progress made by the coalition and expand efforts to burned areas yet to be treated,” the staff report states.
The current recovery efforts cost $6.4 million. Longmont’s contribution will match that of the St. Vrain & Left Hand Water Conservancy District, while Boulder County has contributed $1.3 million, the staff report states.
