Firefighters battling brush or structure fires in southwest La Plata County have a ready supply of water available for the first time. The source is a 50,000-gallon rubberized holding pond at the Fort Lewis Mesa Fire Protection District's Station 4 at the intersection of county roads 100 and 110, a few miles west of Marvel. Before the pond was filled last month, firefighters had to drive about four miles to draw water from the La Plata River or ponds in the area. About 20 volunteer firefighters did all the work on the new water source. They excavated and contoured earth to accept a 40-by-40-foot rubberized membrane, installed pipes and built a fence around the area. The cost of the tank was about $45,000, Ebner said. The state paid two-thirds of the cost, and the district picked up the remainder.

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