This week's rain has been a big help for fire crews, but runoff from that rainfall has already started to carry ash and other debris into the region's water system.
This week's rain has been a big help for fire crews, but runoff from that rainfall has already started to carry ash and other debris into the region's water system.
The latest breaking updates, delivered straight to your email inbox.
This week's rain has been a big help for fire crews, but runoff from that rainfall has already started to carry ash and other debris into the region's water system.
This week's rain has been a welcome sight for those dealing with the impacts of the Mosquito Fire.
The early season moisture has helped to significantly dampen fire activity over the last several days.
| Read More on Mosquito Fire | Rain showers, cooler temperatures keep fire activity to a minimum
Estimates and measurements show that anywhere from 1 to 2.5 inches of rain has fallen over the burn region since Sunday morning.
But as that rain runs down the steep canyons and into Placer County's many waterways, ash and debris from the fire's burn area can easily end up in the water supply system.
Andy Fecko, general manager of the Placer County Water Agency, said plans to keep that water supply safe began the night the fire was first reported near Oxbow Reservoir.
"Oxbow Reservoir is the lowest reservoir in that system and it's most impacted by things like sediment, logs and ash that tend to come down after a fire," Fecko said.
While Oxbow itself isn't a primary water storage facility, its tributaries, including the Middle Fork of the American River, provide drinking water to about 250,000 residents from Roseville to Lincoln.
Placer County dealt with similar challenges following the King Fire in 2014, which burned through areas farther north in the watershed.
"The difference with this fire is that instead of just burning one river watershed, the Rubicon, it's actually burning in 3 or 4 that directly come into Oxbow Reservoir," Fecko said.
That will likely increase the amount of sediment that ends up in waterways. To counteract that, PCWA runs water through water treatment facilities, adding extra steps to remove harmful particles before distributing the water to homes and businesses.
On Tuesday evening, water managers received some good news. Initial observations show that the Mosquito Fire likely burned at a lower intensity than the King Fire. That may allow a lot of the soil to stay on hillsides, rather than getting swept away by rain and snowmelt.
Still, water managers are getting ready for years of dealing with the fallout from the fire.
"This is something that we have to plan for long term. And so we sort of hope for the best but plan for the worst because we owe that to our customers," Fecko said.
And for many employees at the Placer County Water Agency, the work ahead is personal.
Fecko himself is a Foresthill resident. He just returned to his own home on Sunday after evacuating almost two weeks ago.
| Video Below | Mosquito Fire evening update
Hearst Television participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.