Las Vegas, which has a population of about 13,200 people, has a two-month supply of water, but flooding threatens to contaminate the supply with fire debris and ash. The river supplies 90% of the water for Las Vegas.
The governor’s executive orders allow for $2.25 million in state emergency funding to be made available “to assist the local government with emergency measures, help prevent additional damage, repair public infrastructure, and lessen the overall recovery time related to wildfire impacts and burn scar flooding,” according to the release.
The Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire is 94% contained as of Thursday, the federal wildfire clearinghouse InciWeb says, but no new fire behavior has been reported recently.
In May, when firefighters first got the huge blaze under control, Las Vegas Mayor Louie Trujillo told CNN even though the West needed rain, officials there were racing the weather to divert precious river water into a downstream lake before downpours came with the monsoon season.
“There are large portions of the watershed you can see that are completely burned. It looks like burnt toothpicks sticking out of the ground for acres and acres,” Trujillo told CNN. “With the soil instability, during a heavy rain event it would be like putting water on a bunch of baby powder where it doesn’t absorb at all; it just falls.”
Megafires destabilize the soil. When it rains, thousands of tons of charred sediment flow into rivers and reservoirs used for drinking water. Even if water agencies can filter out the taste of dirt and ash, water treatment managers also worry about the lingering impacts of charred organic compounds mixing with the chlorine used to purify the water to make it drinkable.
“The destruction that continues to befall New Mexico communities affected by the US Forest Service planned burns from earlier this year is unfathomable,” the governor said in the release. “I am very appreciative of the diligent and proactive work done by the City of Las Vegas to ensure that the municipal water system will continue to operate safely, and I am glad to provide emergency funding from the state to support that effort. New Mexicans in San Miguel County have been through enough — we will continue to do everything we can to support them and prevent additional damage as a result of the wildfires.”
According to the governor’s release, Trujillo said, “The contaminated water flow from the Gallinas caused by the wildfire damage to our watershed has compromised the availability of water to the Las Vegas municipal water system. Rest assured that the city will be holding the federal government responsible for our current situation.”
The weather forecast for Las Vegas calls for more rain this weekend, according to the National Weather Service’s website.
CNN’s Ella Nilsen contributed to this report.
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