Regional concerns about dry conditions across Colorado, along with recent wildfires, including the Marshall Fire in Boulder County in 2021, have prompted customers to ask important questions about the role of water systems during wildfire events.
We understand these concerns. Questions about hydrants, water availability and system performance are reasonable, especially when wildfire risk is top of mind. This blog is intended to provide clear, factual information about how the Fort Collins-Loveland Water District’s (FCLWD) system is designed and what it can realistically support during these types of events.
TL;DR Summary
- FCLWD’s 3,200 fire hydrants are designed to support structural fires and can provide fire suppression for several structures at a time.
- Wildfires present extraordinary circumstances that our system is not designed to handle, nor is any domestic water system. Water storage tanks are quickly depleted when a fire hydrant is activated, especially when multiple hydrants are used simultaneously across the system.
- From a systems and financial perspective, it would not be cost-effective or sustainable for a water provider to build infrastructure that supported wildfire suppression.
- When fire hydrants “fail” during a wildfire, it’s simply the physical reality of infrastructure built for everyday needs, stretched to handle extraordinary emergencies.
What FCLWD’s Fire Hydrants Are Designed to Do
Fire hydrants are an essential part of the District’s infrastructure and are designed to support structural fire protection. This includes structure fires involving homes, buildings and localized incidents. FCLWD’s roughly 3,200 hydrants are regularly inspected, maintained and tested to ensure they are operational. The spacing between them varies by location, since some parts of our service area are densely populated and others are more rural. Placement is not intended to support wildfire suppression, but rather to support in case of a structure fire.
Depending on the land use code (residential versus commercial), we design our infrastructure to support 1,500 to 2,500 gallons per minute from a single hydrant for up to two hours while allowing the system to drop to 20 psi. If the fire department is fighting one structure, this volume is sufficient, but the system is not designed to fight structure fires at the scale that might occur if a wildfire spreads close to a populated area. This design reflects the types of events that water systems are expected to support on a routine basis.
How Wildfires Differ
Wildfires present a fundamentally different challenge than structural fires. Unlike a structure fire, which is typically contained to a single property or a small number of buildings, wildfires can impact large areas simultaneously. Fire crews may draw water from multiple hydrants across different parts of the system at the same time, often for extended periods. This sustained, high-volume demand can quickly exceed the system’s ability to maintain pressure and storage levels.
As FCLWD District Engineer Sandra Bratlie explains:
“During a major fire event, sustained high water demand at multiple points can quickly drain our storage tanks and result in catastrophic system depressurization. This isn’t a failure, it’s simply the physical reality of infrastructure built for everyday needs, stretched to handle extraordinary emergencies.”
This distinction is important. The system continues to operate as designed, but it is being used in a way that exceeds its intended capacity.
System Reliability and Emergency Preparedness
FCLWD’s system is designed with reliability in mind, including during emergency conditions. Critical facilities are equipped with backup generators that keep the system running during power outages. This is particularly important during high wind events or wildfire conditions, when power may be shut off as a precaution. In general, the system is designed to maintain operations for approximately 24 hours without external power. Beyond that timeframe, continued operation depends on fuel availability and other external factors.
Storage tanks provide an additional buffer, helping to maintain pressure and supply during periods of increased demand. However, once storage is significantly depleted, it can take several hours to days to recover, depending on the tank and system design.
Why Systems Are Not Designed for Wildfire-Scale Demand
A common question we hear is why water systems are not designed to accommodate wildfire-scale demand. From an engineering and financial perspective, doing so would require significantly larger infrastructure across the entire system, including larger diameter pipes, substantially increased storage capacity and higher-capacity pumping systems.
These upgrades would involve extensive construction, significant cost and ongoing operational challenges. Much of that additional capacity would remain unused under normal conditions. Water systems are designed to balance reliability, efficiency and cost while meeting established service standards. Designing for extreme, infrequent events at wildfire scale is neither practical nor sustainable.
The Role of the Water District in a Wildfire
It is also important to understand the role of a water provider during wildfire events. FCLWD’s responsibility is to provide water supply and system pressure to support municipal needs, including firefighting. Fire agencies are responsible for wildfire suppression and utilize a range of resources beyond hydrants, including engines, tankers and aerial support. The District works in coordination with local fire agencies and emergency management partners, sharing information and supporting response efforts within the capabilities of the system.
As a Title 32 special district, FCLWD is obligated to serve its entire district and is committed to maintaining infrastructure that supports both everyday needs and emergency response to the extent that is feasible.
Water Supply Is Not the Limiting Factor
Given the dry winter, we also know that some people will wonder whether water availability could be a constraint during a wildfire. For FCLWD, that is not the case. The District maintains a diverse and well-managed water supply portfolio designed to support long-term reliability. Water supply planning considers variability in weather, seasonal demand and long-term growth.
During wildfires, the limiting factor is not the amount of water available. The limitation is how quickly water can be delivered across the system when demand increases significantly in multiple locations at the same time.
What This Means for FCLWD Customers
Customers can have confidence that the District’s system is reliable and operating as designed. FCLWD is prepared to support emergency response efforts, including during wildfire conditions. At the same time, it is important to recognize that there are physical limits to any infrastructure system when faced with sustained, large-scale demand. Wildfires represent an extraordinary set of conditions that require a broader response beyond what any single system can provide.
Wildfire preparedness extends beyond water systems and involves coordinated efforts across multiple agencies, as well as individual actions such as maintaining defensible space and following emergency guidance.
FCLWD’s system is designed to provide safe, reliable water and to support structural fire protection. It performs effectively within those parameters and includes planning for outages, backup power and emergency coordination. We remain committed to transparency, responsible planning and providing our customers with clear information about how the system works and what to expect.
