SC science lecture to focus on local drinking water

A look at Sheridan’s city drinking water will kick off the Sheridan College Museum of Discovery’s first science lecture for this spring.

The online presentation will start at 7 p.m. next Wednesday and will be presented by Matt Enger, U.S. Forest Service hydrologist, and Jon Warder, U.S. Forest Service forest fire management officer for the Bighorn National Forest.

Focus of the lecture will be the Sheridan Municipal Water Shed, including its source, threats and proposed actions on the Bighorn National Forest.

According to managers from the Sheridan Area Water Supply Joint Powers Board and the Wyoming Water Development Office, the Sheridan municipal watershed, which is sourced almost entirely from lands managed by the Bighorn National Forest, is at risk.

A study completed in 2019 has identified that wildfire can be a major source of sediments and other contaminants to the water supply, and that action is needed to reduce this threat.

Enger and Warder will discuss the management actions proposed by the Bighorn National Forest to help reduce the threat as well as the potential ramifications of wildlife and how local residents can provide input to the proposed actions.

Enger has been with the Bighorn National Forest since 2016. He holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in forestry, with concentrations in forest hydrology and soil science from Southern Illinois University Carbondale. While with the Forest Service, he has served on several Burned Area Emergency Response Teams, tasked with assessing post-fire effects following a wildlife.

Warder, who lives in Sheridan, has been with the Bighorn National Forest since 2001 and has been the forest fire management officer since 2007. He joined the Forest Service in 1989 and was initially a wildlife biology. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in natural resource management from Colorado State University.

To attend Wednesday’s meeting via Zoom, go online to wee.sheridan.edu/lecture at 7 p.m.