A watershed is an elevated land area that channels rainfall and snowmelt to creeks, streams, and rivers. The South Platte watershed provides Colorado with 75% of its municipal water. Yet ongoing threats from weather and human activity damage this fragile ecosystem. Preventing contamination of the water source requires constant maintenance. The Coalition for the Upper South Platte (CUSP) works with local partners and volunteers to combat the problem. They focus on project planning, implementation, and monitoring within the watershed. The goal is to better cope with water quality threats from wildfires, sediment erosion, weed control, and human impact.
Colorado residents are becoming more aware of CUSP’s plans, and for good reason. Two issues contributed to the initial interest in forming the organization. The first was a 1994/95 U.S. Forest Service (USFS) study of the South Platte within Forest Service boundaries. Researchers wanted to know if any river segments within the boundaries might qualify for designation under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. The Denver Water Board was concerned that designation would give the USFS operational control of the river. This could negatively impact their ability to operate their water rights. Second, the EPA guidelines on Source Water Assessment Programs require water providers to look at areas that impact their water quality. Naturally, then, the South Platte watershed had to be studied.
Based on these issues, the Forest Service pulled together interested parties to assess ways to protect the values set in place by the Wild and Rivers Scenic Act. In early 1998, this group began working on a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). Under the MOU, they agreed to keep the management program voluntary, not regulatory. This established the Coalition’s goals. First, they wanted to protect and address the impacts of water quality. Next, they wanted to sustain productivity and diversity of ecological systems. Finally, they planned to manage nonpoint pollutant sources and minimize impacts of disastrous events.
Living with fire is part of life in the watershed. Having strategic plans in place for post-fire reclamation are as important as the means of preventing future fires. This is especially true for those in high fire danger areas. The torrential rain following the Buffalo Creek fire of 1996 washed tons of silt into Denver’s main water intake structure. This threatened the drinking water of the city and closed the structure for three weeks. The fire damage surrounding Colorado Springs must also be managed in the coming years. Thus, city leaders must keep contaminants out of the water system.
In 2012, major wildfires burned close to 250,000 acres in Colorado. Granted, wildfires are an important aspect of a healthy environment. However, the problem stems from the aftermath of these fires. Tons of sediment composed of sand and decomposed Pikes Peak granite are unleashed. They slump from barren mountainsides into the streams. This problem has increased at an alarming rate. Due to the Hayman Fire, 20,000 tons of sediment now flows yearly through local creeks. Prior to 2002, only 1,200 tons flowed yearly through those same local creeks. This drastic impact on the watershed requires constant volunteer efforts to keep the water quality healthy. Educational efforts play an equally important role.
The Waldo Canyon and Black Forest fires had a direct impact of Colorado Springs’ future water quality. The high-heat blaze of these fires resulted in incidents of high erosion and sediment loss. Consequently, many homeowners along the Waldo Canyon burn scar face ongoing flooding issues due to the harsh storms following the fire. For several years, CUSP worked with its volunteers at the Flying W Ranch in efforts to prevent erosion with log boundaries and soil management. Their efforts are ongoing and in constant need of additional volunteers.
Many factors affect water quality in the watershed. Contaminants of concern include sediment loadings caused by both natural conditions and human activities. These result from land use and development, transportation, and agriculture. Colorado has over eighty abandoned mines and several permitted mines still functioning. Accordingly, these mines contribute to the drainage of various metals and acids having a devastating impact on the surrounding water sources.
CUSP started a program dedicated specifically to the control and eradication of noxious weeds throughout the South Platte watershed. The goal is to protect native plants against dangerous invasive weeds. Various foreign weeds such as the Orange Hawkweed, Oxeye Daisy and Spotted Knapweed damage the environment by acting as an herbicide to surrounding vegetation, threatening livestock. Fortunately, agriculture and ranching do not play as large of a role as they previously have in the watershed. Current agriculture operators tend to stray away from the heavy application of herbicides, pesticides, or chemical fertilizers to maintain quality drinking water for Colorado’s citizens.
At times, lack of funding and division issues such as the South Park Conjunctive Use Project have disrupted CUSP’s goals. Their funding has been predominately crisis initiated. They had an average net loss of over two hundred thousand dollars per year during the past three fiscal years. CUSP wants to reach their goals by developing fundraising plans and information outreach programs. Their plans for wildfire management include monitoring sediment, recreation use, and agriculture concerns. This stragegy could lead to a healthy South Platte watershed.
CUSP holds multiple workshops throughout the year that cover topics from agriculture to weed management. The workshops are open to all stakeholders, involved members, and volunteers. Specifically, they inform ranchers on topics like managed grazing and holistic management. Similarly, water quality workshops develop study plans for phosphorous impacts from trans-mountain diverted waters and conducting phosphorus study. CUSP strives to manage the watershed while respecting recreational usage and land development growth while maintaining the public’s access to these lands.
For over fifteen years, CUSP has served the Central Colorado Community. It’s organizers have run many events and programs like the Antero Ice Fishing competition and the Woodland Park Healthy Forest Initiative. Without CUSP’s constant funding and the volunteer participation, these programs would not exist on the scale they do today. Volunteer growth has been steady since CUSP’s inception. Still, CUSP always accepts new participants eager to practice conservation and preservation. They also encourage any interested members to attend the various stakeholder-run workshops provided throughout the year. The Coalition of the Upper South Platte is the backbone to providing clean municipal water to over a million residents. Their promotional efforts to cultivate more eco-friendly residents make the region more liveable. The South Platte watershed deserves this attention because the local residents do as well.
***
David LaPlant is a writer from the Colorado Springs area.
