… As sunlight filters through the water, mayfly nymphs, no larger than your fingernail, cling to algae-coated cobbles. … This scene is common in well-maintained creeks and streams that flow through populated areas. But when wildfires sweep through, the toxic materials left behind can devastate this ecosystem. … Urban conflagrations consume a mix of synthetic and natural materials, including homes, vehicles, electronics and household chemicals. This creates a unique set of problems that can have far-reaching consequences for waterways and the creatures that call them home. As an environmental engineer, I study how human actions on land affect the chemistry and ecology of surface water systems, including an important group of stream dwellers: benthic macroinvertebrates. These tiny creatures, which include mayflies, stoneflies and caddisflies, are not only food sources for fish and other stream life but also serve as nature’s own water quality monitors.
—Written by Lauren Magliozzi, researcher in environmental engineering at the University of Colorado at Boulder