Civil Engineering ETDs

Publication Date

Spring 5-16-2026

Abstract

Recent large wildfires in New Mexico have demonstrated severe hydrological driven by vegetation loss and the development of hydrophobic soil surfaces. This thesis evaluates the performance of three infiltration models—Curve Number (CN), Linear Constant (LC), and Green–Ampt (GA)— for the watershed impacted by the 2024 South Fork and Salt Fires near Ruidoso, New Mexico. All three models performed comparably during post‑fire simulations, with strong performance in 2024 and notable degradation in 2025, particularly for the CN. Post-fire analyses indicate substantial reductions in infiltration capacity, with CN increasing by 18–24%, LC initial deficit decreasing by 65–77%, effective hydraulic conductivity reduced by 76–85%, and GA wetting-front suction head decreasing by 4–29%. Concurrent reductions in lag time (21–62%) and Manning’s coefficient (17–67%) indicate accelerated runoff response. These findings highlight persistent post‑fire hydrologic alteration and emphasize careful model selection and parameterization for post‑fire flood assessment.

Keywords

Wildfire, postfire flooding, infiltration model optimization, curve number (CN), linear-constant (LC), Green-Ampt (GA).

Document Type

Thesis

Language

English

Degree Name

Civil Engineering

Level of Degree

Masters

Department Name

Civil Engineering

First Committee Member (Chair)

Gerhard Schoener

Second Committee Member

Julie Allred

Third Committee Member

Marisa Repasch

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