SUMMIT COUNTY, Colo. — A new project in Summit County will help in wildfire mitigation and improve the quality of Denver's drinking water.
Wetlands play a major role in keeping our water clean. Yet, according to the National Forest Foundation, the U.S. has lost more than half of them in the lower 48 states because of infrastructure development and agricultural practices. The Soda Creek Restoration Project hopes to undo some of that loss in Colorado.
The project is part of a larger effort to restore 40 acres of wetlands in the White River National Forest, reestablishing nearly 30 acres while rehabilitating another 12.5 acres.
The NFF started the project last month and all the work is being done by hand with the help of volunteers. One of several things they're doing is creating dams to slow down the water allowing it to spread out over the valley.
NFF Colorado River Watershed Program Coordinator Adde Sharp said the historic wetland in Summit County was converted into a cabbage farm more than a hundred years ago, causing the area to dry up and the landscape to change. Sharp said turning the area back into a wetland is a big deal because Soda Creek is upstream of Dillon Reservoir, which provides drinking water to the Denver area.
"Wetlands dramatically improve water quality because they're like sponges or filters that are filtering out sediment and different contaminants in the water, heavy metals, etc.,” said Sharp. “If you live downstream of a wetland- and we all do, there are wetlands upstream of all of us- this is really improving your water quality."
Sharp shared aerial photos with 9NEWS showing what the land looked like before and after the project started. The first photo was taken in early August. The area is brown, dry, and covered in dirt. The second photo was taken less than two weeks later and shows a luscious, vibrant green valley.
"The exciting part is we see it almost immediately,” said Sharp. “[For example] you build an instream structure, you go back the next day and all of a sudden where you were standing on dry ground, you're sinking up to your ankles in soft wet earth. That's why it's super rewarding for volunteers, these results are noticeable overnight.”
Sharp said another cool thing about the Soda Creek Restoration Project is that it can help with wildfire mitigation.
“It's beneficial in terms of protecting the community around it from wildfire risk and allows the first responders to get in there to use it as a firebreak,” said Sharp. “It also allows the wildlife to have somewhere to flock if there's a fire and everything around them is burning.”
This portion of the Soda Creek Restoration Project is scheduled to wrap up in November. The overall project is expected to replenish up to 321.7 million liters of water recharge per year.