Fact Sheet 141-02
U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 141-02, 4 pages (Published Nov. 2002)
By Jack E. Veenhuis and Phillip R. Bowman
This report is available online in pdf format: USGS FS 141-02 (2 MB)
In June 1977, the La Mesa wildfire burned 15,270 acres in and near Frijoles Canyon in Bandelier National Monument (BNM) and the adjacent Santa Fe National Forest, New Mexico (fig. 1). In April 1996, the Dome wildfire in BNM burned 16,516 acres in and near Capulin Canyon and the surrounding Dome Wilderness area. Both Frijoles and Capulin Canyon watersheds are characterized by archeological artifacts that could be affected by increased runoff and accelerated rates of erosion, which typically occur after a fire. In response to this concern, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the National Park Service, conducted a study to monitor and document the wildfire effects on streamflow after the 1996 Dome fire. Post-fire hydrologic changes have been observed, but not often documented, for wildfires in Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, and Wyoming. In 1996, the Hondo fire near Taos, New Mexico; the Buffalo Creek fire near Denver, Colorado; a fire in the Jicarilla Apache Reservation, New Mexico; and a fire in Mesa Verde National Monument all caused large increases in the magnitude of storm flows. In general, after each fire, peak flows increased, erosion and corresponding sediment transport increased, and channel geometry changed. This Fact Sheet summarizes the effects of the 1977 La Mesa wildfire on the hydrology of Frijoles Canyon and the 1996 Dome wildfire on the hydrology of Capulin Canyon in and near BNM from July 1996 to November 1998.
The study area is located in and near BNM in north-central New Mexico and includes parts of Frijoles Canyon and Capulin Canyon. Streamflow in these watersheds originates at higher elevations near the east rim of the Jemez Mountains, is in an easterly direction, and eventually enters the Rio Grande.
Rainfall was recorded and streamflow was monitored from 1996 to 1998 in and near Capulin Canyon after the 1996 Dome wildfire. The locations of selected rain gages, crest-stage gages, and streamflow-gaging stations are shown in figure 2. Slope-area and step-backwater indirect measurements were made at the three crest-stage gages and gaging station. The hydrologic assessment after the fire in Capulin Canyon was based, in part, on analysis of the gaging- station record for Frijoles Canyon collected before and after the 1977 La Mesa fire. Suspended- sediment samples of La Mesa post-fire runoff were collected from 1977 to 1988; samples also were collected as part of the USGS National Water- Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program from 1993 to 1995. For a complete description of the methods used during this study, the reader is referred to Veenhuis (2002).
This report is available online in pdf format: USGS FS 141-02 (2 MB)
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Veenhuis, Jack E.; Bowman, Phillip R., 2002, Effects of wildfire on the hydrology of Frijoles and Capulin Canyons in and near Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 141-02
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