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Hydrology • Geochemistry • Water quality • Trace metals analysis

Monitoring the recovery of the Coal Creek ecosystem after the Marshall Fire

The Marshall Fire burn area overlaps much of the Coal Creek drainage area. Fires at the wildland-urban interface (WUI) pose contamination risk to surface waters, which can have a toxic impact on stream biota such as periphyton and benthic invertebrates. This study measured standard water quality parameters, the concentration of metals, organic contaminants, and benthic invertebrate/periphyton health during the Spring and Summer of 2022 at eight sites along Coal Creek in Superior, Louisville, and unincorporated Boulder County. Limited data on stream impacts due to WUI fires exists, therefore collecting this time-sensitive data will inform local management decisions and launch future scholarly research activities.

Education

• MS: University of Colorado Boulder, 2020
• BS: Smith College, 2013

Awards

• Colorado Riparian Association Scholarship Award, 2022-2023
• Natural Hazards Center Quick Response Research Award, Natural Hazards Center, 2022
• Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks Funded Research Fellow, Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks, 2022
• Aiken Endowed Memorial Graduate Research Fellowship, CU Center For Water, Earth Science And Technology (CWEST), 2019

In the news

(Chico State news release, 2024)