Slash Pile Burning
Banner Image for Georgetown Reservoir Wildland Mitigation – Pile Burning

Georgetown Reservoir Wildland Mitigation – Pile Burning

Total Project Area: 47 acres

Project Description:

The Georgetown Reservoir Wildland Mitigation consists of 47 acres of lodgepole forest with areas of aspen. The forest in the area goes right up to the edge of Georgetown Reservoir and would directly affect future water quality in the case of a fire. This area is the primary water source for the 1,131 residents of the Town of Georgetown, as well as providing supply to the City of Black Hawk, City of Golden, City of Arvada and the municipal water users from Standley Lake.

The project area is crisscrossed with trails and roads that can be reinforced to produce fire breaks with lower intervention. Furthermore, there is a large amount of dead and down fuels throughout the area from previous mitigation efforts that left waste wood on the ground. Removal of this material will reduce risk of ground fire spread.

 

Project Goals:

  1. Thin the forest within 200 feet of the Georgetown Reservoir to attain a15 foot canopy spread.
  2. Remove ground fuels and ladder fuel within the area 200 feet from the reservoirs edge.
  3. Remove ground fuels and hazard trees within 30 feet of both sides of the Silverdale trail system.
  4. Identify and install fuel breaks within the project area.
  5. Mitigate the area directly under the regional power lines that pass through the project area.
  6. Install water bars on the trails to limit sedimentation of the reservoir.

The above listed tasks will increase the likelihood of the water supply surviving a wildland fire. Any event that directly impacts this watershed will also impact the City of Black Hawk, City of Golden, City of Arvada along with the Standley Lake municipal water users.

 

Project Status/Timeline:

In progress – Clear Creek Fire Authority began opening access roads in early November, 2021; work will proceed weather-permitting through winter and spring 2022.

 

Partners:

Clear Creek Fire Authority, Town of Georgetown, Clear Creek County Commissioners, City of Arvada, City of Golden, Standley Lake IGA Cities (Thornton, Northglenn, Westminster), and the Clear Creek Watershed & Forest Health Partnership