Letter to the Editor (Oct. 28)

The CalWood and the Lefthand Canyon Fires have impacted our community. I want to extend my thoughts and prayers to those who have lost their homes and have been evacuated. I also want to thank our first responders who have stepped up to keep us safe. The immediate and long-term impacts of these fires are significant. Both fires are burning close to the creeks that provide us with safe drinking water. As soon as the fires are out, we need to begin post-fire recovery work to ensure our water supplies continue to be clean and reliable.

Protecting our communities and water supplies from wildfire impacts and mitigating future fires requires funding. Today, we lack the resources at a local level to undertake many of these activities. Many disaster recovery resources are managed at a state or federal level and are meant for emergency response not long-term resilience. However, we have an opportunity to increase local funding for the St. Vrain and Left Hand Water Conservancy District that would go directly toward activities like post-wildfire recovery and pre-wildfire mitigation to protect us from future wildfires.

Ballot question 7A will fund the District’s 5-Point Water Action Plan to protect forests that are critical to water supplies, restore and maintain our creeks and safeguard our drinking water. This new funding can be used to leverage outside grants to protect our watershed. The District has and continues to protect our clean water and healthy creeks. Wildfires will never go away, but we can do more together as a community to prepare for their impacts and protect ourselves and our water supplies. Vote yes on 7A!

Christopher Smith,

General Manager Left Hand Water District, Board Member of the St. Vrain and Left Hand Water Conservancy District and Board President of the Left Hand Watershed Center.