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COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- Reporter: Chris Buckley

Colorado Springs Utilities is planning a prescribed fire on the north slope of Pikes Peak next month to help protect the area's watershed.

"A lot of folks remember the Hayman fire,"  Eric Howell, a natural resource planner with Colorado Springs Utilities, said.  "It was an extreme, high-intensity fire that burned about 138,000 acres and subsequently, Denver water faced a lot of sedimentation problems and water quality issues as a result of that fire."

Their plan is to burn about 115 acres in the North Slope Recreation Area, near the Catamount Reservoirs. The area has been thinned before, but a lot of the fuels have grown back. Officials said it's the right time for a controlled burn. 

"It's important as part of an ongoing fuel mitigation effort," Howell said.  "The goal is to reduce the fuel and potential for a catastrophic wildfire on the city watershed.  It's about protecting the water supply and water infrastructure on Pikes Peak."

It's also cost-effective. Utilities said thinning the forest by hand will cost significantly more and take between 10 and 15 years.

"This will be a lower-burning intensity type of fire, and it's in an area surrounded by reservoirs and roads, so it's an ideal place for a prescribed fire," Howell said.

The utility is partnering with the Forest Service and several area fire departments on the project, which is slated for mid-October.  They have a two-week window and will pick a day based on weather conditions.  The actual burn should only take one day, but crews will be on scene for three or four days afterward.

"We'll be monitoring the area, making sure the fire is all mopped up, that there's nothing going on that we don't know about," Howell said.  "We'll have lots of resources up there to make sure the fire gets put out completely and to make sure this is a safe fire event."

The North Slope Recreation Area will be closed during the burn, but the Pikes Peak Highway will stay open. Officials will decide on the burn day in the next few weeks.