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Aurora committee backs moving $100,000 forestry IGA with Jefferson Conservation District to study session
Summary
Aurora Water staff requested support to move an IGA providing $100,000 to the Jefferson Conservation District for the Brush Gulch forest restoration project on U.S. Forest Service lands, to reduce wildfire risk and protect water quality in the upper South Platte watershed.
Matt Ashley, who works on watershed health for Aurora Water, asked the committee to forward an IGA that would provide $100,000 in funding to Jefferson Conservation District for forestry and fuels-reduction work on U.S. Forest Service lands near Bailey (the Brush Gulch project).
Ashley said wildfire is the number-one threat to watershed health and that fuel-reduction work protects water infrastructure and reduces post-fire sedimentation; he cited that roughly 10–12% of the capacity of Strancha Springs Reservoir has been filled by sediment following wildfires. The project partners include Jefferson Conservation District, the U.S. Forest Service and Denver Water.
Staff estimated typical costs for forest/fuels treatments at $3,000 to $5,000 per acre depending on method and terrain and noted the city’s funding supports work on federal lands (project elements on adjacent private lands are funded separately by the conservation district). Committee members supported moving the IGA forward to study session.
