Friday, Aug. 9, 2024
Is slurry used by Colorado firefighters harmful to the environment?
The slurry typically consists of about 85% water, 10% fertilizer that includes ammonium phosphate, and 5% natural thickeners, stabilizers, bactericides, corrosion inhibitors and dyes usually made of iron oxide.
In a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Forest Service’s use of slurry, U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen ruled that the Forest Service has conceded that it’s a pollutant. Case law showed “that the direct effects of fire retardant entering a waterway ‘could include, in certain circumstances, lethal and sub-lethal effects in aquatic species,’” wrote Christensen, of the Missoula Division of the Montana District.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Agriculture What is fire retardant and how does it work?
- U.S. Department of Agriculture How is the United States Forest Service protecting wildlife when using fire retardant?
- State of Oregon Department of Environmental Quality After the Fire: Cleaning Up Fire Retardant and Fire Suppressants
- U.S. District Court for the District of Montana Missoula Division Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics vs. United States Forest Service
About fact briefs
Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions, and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by Gigafact contributor publications.
See all fact briefs
The Colorado Sun is a journalist-founded, award-winning and nonprofit news outlet based in Denver that strives to cover all of Colorado so that our state — our community — can better understand itself. In this way, we believe we can contribute to a more vibrant, informed and whole Colorado. We are committed to fact-based, in-depth and nonpartisan journalism. We cover everything from politics and culture to the outdoor industry and education. Our goal is to produce the best possible journalism. We do that with the help of you, our readers, and community backers. We launched on Sept. 10, 2018.
Learn MoreLatest Fact Briefs
Does the Colorado River supply most of Southern California’s water?
Friday, Jan. 31, 2025
Are employers in Colorado required to pay workers for unused vacation time?
Friday, Jan. 24, 2025