Vast scale of wildfire threats to Colorado watersheds far exceeds funding

By: Chase Woodruff

Outlets: Colorado Newsline

Published: August 19, 2026

Words: 2,058

Last Updated: 2 months ago

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High on a ridgeline near the headwaters of the Yampa River, a ditch dug more than a century ago snakes for miles through the rugged terrain of the Routt National Forest, shepherding water from the Yamcolo Reservoir across a 9,000-foot-high mesa to an area south of the town of Yampa, in southern Routt County.

About a dozen cattle ranches rely on water from the Stillwater Ditch to irrigate their hay meadows longer into the growing …

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