Introduced bill intends to protect water resources after wildfires in national forests
The Watershed Protection and Forest Recovery Act would create a new Emergency Forest Watershed Program at the U.S. Department of Agriculture to aid and streamline watershed recovery efforts on U.S. Forest Service lands. The bill is intended to help communities protect their water supply after natural disasters on U.S. Forest Service lands. The bill was introduced by U.S. Senators Michael Bennet, D-Colo., Mitt Romney, R-Utah alongside U.S. Representatives Joe Neguse, D-Colo., Celeste Maloy, R-Utah, Yadira Caraveo, D-Colo. and John Curtis, R-Utah. According to a press release sent by Bennet’s office, following the East Troublesome Fire, water providers faced obstacles that limited their ability to protect drinking water supplies for communities downstream of the fire.