Caldor Fire Stormwater Impact Assessment

This project assesses the impact of the smoke and ash from the 2021 Caldor Fire on stormwater quality. Urban stormwater runoff samples were taken during and immediately after the active burn period and analyzed for markers associated with smoke and ash. Elevated concentrations of several of these markers were found in samples taken during the active burn period, but dropped off quickly as the fire was contained. This indicates that the Caldor Fire had a relatively transitory impact on urban stormwater quality, but likely delivered pollutants to Lake Tahoe, contributing to changes documented by rapid-response investigations on lake ecology and aquatic conditions before and after the fire.