Utah’s Dollar Ridge Fire in 2018 was an ominous knock at the door for water supply managers trying to keep water flowing to a million residents.
That fire led them to invest in a $28 million upgrade to the Duchesne Valley Treatment Plant after debris and sediment washed into Starvation Reservoir.
“We were able to treat the quality of water, but it brought to our attention another process that would be more protective,” said Tom Bruton, assistant general manager of the Central Utah Water Conservancy District, explaining various filtration systems.
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An Interior Department report notes that 80% of the nation’s water supply originates on forested lands — areas that are under increasing assault due to catastrophic wildfires that especially plague the West and threaten water quality.