Developing a "fire-aware" stream gage network by integrating USGS enterprise databases

Wildfires affect streams and rivers when they burn vegetation and scorch the ground. This makes floods more likely to happen and reduces water quality. Public managers, first responders, fire scientists, and hydrologists need timely information before and after a fire to plan for floods and water treatment. This project will create a method to combine national fire databases with the StreamStats water web mapping application to help stakeholders make informed decisions. When the project is finished, people will be able to use StreamStats to estimate post-wildfire peak flows in streams and rivers for most of the United States (where data is available). There will also be tools that allow users to trace upstream and downstream on a stream or river to find nearby burned areas and stream gages.

Principal Investigator : Katharine Kolb
Cooperator/Partner : Todd J Hawbaker, Peter M McCarthy, Mark P Miller, Sheila F Murphy, Paul F Steblein