Southern Rockies Watershed Project: 2nd Interim report

Silins, Uldis; Wagner, Michael

Hydrologic investigation of post-fire (2003 Lost Creek Fire) effects on water quality/quantity in Southern Alberta, due north of Glacier NP and within the Crown of the Continent ecosystem. The 2003 Lost Creek wildfire in the Crowsnest Pass was one of the more severe forest fires in the upper eastern slopes in many decades. Given the high fire severity of the much of the area burned during fire, a wide range of watershed values from streamflow generation through aquatic ecology including a range of human values related to water (drinking water, water based recreation) are likely to impacted. The Southern Rockies Watershed Project was initiated in March of 2004. The broad objectives of this research program are to evaluate both the initial effects of natural disturbance by wildfire on hydrology, water quality, aquatic ecology, and the early recovery of these values in front range headwater streams. The research is also providing crucial information on hydrology of high water yielding Rocky Mtn. watersheds that generate most of the water supply to settled regions of the province. In the 3 seasons after this large wildfire, effects on some aspects of hydrology and very large effects on water quality were evident including large pulses of most nutrients, and some heavy metals (mercury) and these, in turn, produced nearly immediate effects on aquatic production in these streams at several trophic levels (primary and secondary producers) that have persisted for 3 yrs. Landscape recovery is likely to follow several different trajectories depending on the watershed “value” in question.

Southern Rockies Watershed Project: 2nd Interim report

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