East Troublesome Fire -- Willow Creek Reservoir

In the fall of 2020, the East Troublesome fire burned most of the Willow Creek watershed and the land around Willow Creek Reservoir in Grand County, Colorado, leading to concerns about impacts on water quality in the reservoir. Of particular interest is phosphorus because of phosphorus-limited algal growth in the lake, high nutrient concentrations in runoff from the burned watershed, and the use of ammonium phosphate-based fire retardant in combatting the wildfire. In this study we track the impacts on water quality from the influx of nutrients in the years following the East Troublesome fire.