2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Wildfires are a recurring disturbance in New Mexico's arid landscapes. One such example is the 2022 Hermit’s Peak-Calf Canyon Wildfire, the largest fire in the state’s history that burned upwards of 300,000 acres. While wildfires are a natural part of many ecosystems, they have become more intense, frequent and destructive. The loss of vegetation and organic matter after a fire dramatically alters soil stability and runoff processes. When heavy rains occur after a fire, the soil that was once anchored by roots, grass, and other organic matter can detach and wash downslope, carrying ash, soot, and fine sediments into natural streams and rivers. This results in highly turbid, sediment-saturated water that threatens aquatic life, clogs reservoirs, and presents challenges to drinking water treatment. These post-fire runoff events can degrade water quality for communities already impacted by drought and limited clean water supplies, not only in New Mexico, but in every wildfire-prone environment. For example, for residents of Las Vegas, New Mexico, this has resulted in contaminated water resources from mudslides and runoff that carry this loose soil and debris with them to the downslope watershed and water storage reservoirs.

To help students and the public understand these processes, our team developed a physical demo relating soil erosion to water quality, created for students in the K-12 age range. This setup features three simulated mini watersheds, each packed with soil. One simulates real grass growth, another simulates soil with stones and gravel, but no vegetation, and the last simulates the ground after a fire, which is only soil. As water flows down into the clear collection containers, participants can visually observe differences in runoff clarity, sediment load, and filtration. The vegetated side produces relatively clear water as roots and leaf litter slow the flow and trap particles; the rocky side shows a slight decrease in water quality, and the soil side releases darker, turbid water. Our soil erosion display offers a tangible way to see how nature acts as a filter and how wildfire can remove that protection.

The demo can also be transformed into a simple K-12 classroom lesson plan that teaches the steps of the scientific method. Student participants can make hypotheses about water quality outcomes, collect laboratory data such as turbidity of water, and discuss what types of plants can best promote soil anchoring and how the flow rate of water from heavy rainstorms will affect erosion.

This project supports engineering education, preservation of local vegetation, and community outreach by making abstract environmental problems visible and interactive. It links concepts such as hydrology, soil science, and environmental engineering to real-life events in (but not limited to) New Mexico. It also encourages discussion on watershed management and post-fire restoration among the youth. We aim to spark curiosity, communicate the science of soil erosion and its effects on water quality, and inspire future engineers to design solutions that build resilience after wildfire.