The December 30th, 2021 Marshall Fire was the most property destructive fire in Colorado’s history. The Marshall Fire burn extent overlaps much of the Coal Creek drainage area, including protected habitat for sensitive species in Open Space areas and a 14-mile recreational pathway between Superior and Erie. Fires at the wildland-urban interface (WUI) pose a serious risk to the health of stream ecosystems and the safety of nearby recreation. Wildfires are known to increase nutrient concentrations in streams that can adversely impact stream health and can cause harmful algal blooms. Fires that occur in WUI areas, such as the Marshall Fire, also pose unique environmental toxicity risk due to the combustion of household materials and industrial constituents that contain toxic metals (e.g., zinc, lead, copper), which can have a toxic impact on stream biota such as periphyton and benthic invertebrates. This study analyzes standard water quality parameters, metals concentration, and benthic invertebrate and periphyton health in the immediate aftermath of the Marshall Fire along Coal Creek in Superior, Louisville, and unincorporated Boulder County.
lauren.magliozzi@colorado.edu (contact)
Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering Graduate ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½, CU Boulder