During the flood control and water conservation district portion of the meeting, assistant county naturalist Matt Parker asked whether permanent weirs or gauges were installed after the Shelly Fire to measure how much groundwater recharge might result from increased post‑fire streamflow.

A county flood‑control staff member responded that no permanent gauges were known to have been installed and that there might have been temporary or spot measurements. The staff member said the district is looking for a more comprehensive monitoring approach in case similar events occur again, and acknowledged the concerns of the agriculture community about water availability.

Parker said he had been in contact with researchers, including Dr. Robert Bales, who previously assigned dollar figures to water loss tied to vegetation changes, and suggested the county’s researchers reach out to him and consider an economic study of water loss to agriculture. The staff member agreed to look into the matter.

Nut graf: The exchange recorded public concern about quantifying post‑fire hydrologic changes and a staff commitment to investigate monitoring options; no permanent monitoring installation was reported on the record.

Ending: Staff said they will follow up with further information about whether any permanent monitoring exists or whether the county can develop a more comprehensive plan for future post‑fire groundwater recharge measurement.