Water Conservation Districts
Josephine County
Request: $80,000
The Klamath Mountains contain naturally chromium‑rich soils and experience frequent, high‑severity wildfire. We want to be equipped to assess how these fires may affect aquatic ecosystems and drinking‑water supplies, with hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) as a key concern, as well as the impacts of wildfire‑response chemicals such as Phos‑Chek.
For more information on the Illinois Valley Water Quality Monitoring Project, which we are actively working to expand to a countywide scale, please visit: https://ivswcd.specialdistrict.org/surface-waters-working-lands-monitoring-hub
We have limited resources for postfire water quality monitoring in the Illinois Valley and, as one of the highest-risk areas in the state for catastrophic wildfire, would like to be prepared to quantify and communicate the impacts to the local communities.
We are attaching some recent reports regarding our water quality monitoring activities. We would work with DEQ to develop a post-fire water quality monitoring SAP to ensure that any data collected is both DEQ A-level and is eligible for submittal to DEQ.
