Preventing Fires in and around our Watersheds

Calaveras Reservoir 

Happy belated Fourth of July!

We are in the middle of fire season and it’s good to keep in mind how we can prevent fires in and around our watersheds.  Our watersheds, the San Antonio and Calaveras reservoirs are a critical part of our infrastructure because they provide clean drinking water to millions of people in the Bay Area.  They’re also home to wildlife, fish and livestock. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, more than $450 billion in food, fiber, manufactured goods and tourism depend on clean, healthy watersheds. Today’s blog is a continuation of our summer fire safety series, focusing on preventing fire in and around our watersheds.

Image courtesy of www.sc.edu

Fire Triangle

There are 3 key elements that need to be present in order to ignite a wildfire.  Those three elements are humidity, fuel (grasses, sticks, branches etc…) and wind.  Typically, if the humidity in the air is lower than 30%, coupled with fuel and wind, you’re bound to create a fire.  Out of all of the three elements, wind is the most dangerous because it provides oxygen to a fire. Wind not only controls the direction, spread, and size of fire, but also greatly affects the flammability of plants by reducing fuel moisture.

San Antonio Reservoir

Preventing Fires in and around Watersheds

Here are some helpful tips on how to prevent fires in and around our watersheds:

• Be careful and stay in well established graded/mowed roads
• If you have an ATV’s- remember just because you have an ATV doesn’t mean you’re safe 
• Use ATV’s only if weather permits
• Pay attention to the condition of the fuel around you, especially on hot, windy days
• Be aware of your vehicle’s exhaust, whether you’re on an ATV, car or any other type of mechanical equipment
• If you have to pull over to the side of the road, be careful not to park over dry fuel (grasses)
• Fireworks- careful not to set them off in or around dry fuel (grasses)
• Shooting Guns- sparks from guns or any other type of firearm can ignite a fire given the right conditions
• Mowing –is the biggest causes of fires, try not to mow past 10 a.m.
• No smoking near the watersheds

 If you see a fire near or around a watershed please call 911 immediately!

Additional fire resources:

·       CAL FIRE at: http://www.readyforwildfire.org/

National Fire Protection Agency, http://www.nfpa.org/