The Larimer County Office of Emergency Management has released the Cameron Peak Fire risk assessment, identifying areas of flooding concern including Storm Mountain west of Loveland and neighborhoods northwest of Masonville.
According to a release from the office, the burn severity, soil erosion, hydrology and debris flow modelling results of the area show that there will be an increase in debris flow and flooding events because of the wildfire’s severity.
For people in the area, this means an increase in erosion and sedimentation, a greater chance for debris flow and flooding (increasing exponentially for those already in a risk area) and additional impacts to aquatic and terrestrial habitats.
The release also provided information on which areas and neighborhoods saw some of the worst burn severity as well as which areas are at the greatest risk for flooding.
Based on all the information provided through the risk analysis, the Emergency Management office determined seven neighborhoods had the highest risk overall. Those are: Big Bear and Crystal Mountain, northwest of Masonville; Storm Mountain west of Loveland; Goodell Corner, north of Rustic; Monument Gulch, west of Fort Collins; Poudre City, in northwest Larimer County; and Upper Buckhorn, west of Fort Collins.
Of the 34 neighborhoods analyzed in the burn area, 14 of them showed high to moderate burn severity, half of which suffered high burn severity.
High severity areas, according to the release, have had all their surface litter (plants and leaves that have fallen to the ground) layers consumed by fire. Because of this, soil maybe now be powdery, grainy or loose and unable to bind together and retain water, and as such the soils are “very susceptible to erosion and often have high surface run-off during rainstorms.”
The neighborhoods identified as having the most significant amount of moderate or combined high and moderate burn severity include Crystal Mountain, Crystal Peak, Goodell Corner, Home Moraine, Lazy D Ranch, Monument Gulch, Moondance Way, Poudre City, Storm Mountain and the Upper Buckhorn. Most of these areas are west of Fort Collins, while Storm Mountain is west of Loveland.
The analysis found eight neighborhoods at risk for debris flow, including the Upper Buckhorn, which was deemed to have the most debris danger.
Finally, neighborhoods were assessed to determine the proportion of each within a previously determined Federal Emergency Management Agency flood risk area.
The six neighborhoods identified as having a significant proportion located within a FEMA flood zone are Home Moraine, Kinikinik, Pingree Park, Poudre City, Rustic and Sleeping Elephant, all northwest of Fort Collins.
For all of these analyses, areas near Loveland such as Masonville and Glen Echo floated around the moderate to low risk severity.
Along with these areas, the analysis found that several county and private roads are at risk following the fire, as well as county culverts and bridges.
For residents in these areas, the office offered ways to reduce the risks, including upgrading and fortifying infrastructure, planning for road repair, increasing monitoring and maintenance of roadways, removing debris from streams and more.
“No portion of the burned area exists in isolation, and a holistic management perspective is important,” the release said. “Cumulative effects (upstream to downstream) have the potential to be significant drivers of risk given the expansive area and rugged topography encompassed by the burn perimeter, and these need to be carefully considered moving forward.”
More information can be found at larimer.org/wildfire-resources.
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May 25, 2021 at 07:25AM
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Cameron Peak risk assessment released, Storm Mountain an area of concern - Loveland Reporter-Herald
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