Fracking tanks, the scourge of environmentalists in Colorado, are being put to a new use in the state.
They’re being used by one county to store water in preparation of the growing wildfires in Colorado. The tanks are situated on the state’s Western Slope where much of the state is already under a red flag fire alert. Some wildfires have been fought this week and two were responsible for shutting down traffic both east and west on Interstate 70 near Glen Wood Springs.
The tanks are part of a “Water Ready Project” created by the San Miguel County Sheriff’s office in Telluride. They can hold 21,000 gallons of water and are stored at sites around the county in a move to shorten response time for fighting wildfires reported KDVR News.
Instead of returning long distances to get water supplies, tanker trucks will be able to move more quickly to refill during emergency incidents.
“Given our drought conditions and wildfire risk, this is an important resource for our emergency responders and communities,” Covault told KDVR.
More than 4 million Coloradans are in a historic drought covering nearly the entire state except for some areas on the Front Range and Eastern Plains. Federal officials expect drought conditions to improve soon in some southeast Colorado regions, but the Denver metro area, the high country and Western Slope’s drought conditions will likely persist.
Telluride Fire Protection District, Norwood Fire Protection District, Egnar Fire Protection District, San Miguel County officials, Road and Bridge, the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and the Office of Emergency Management worked on the project.
