As drought stresses forests across the U.S. West and South, the number of acres burned by wildfires is increasing every year. Wildfires pose a significant threat to drinking water systems: Approximately 180 million people in over 68,000 communities rely on forested lands for their drinking water supply.
When fires burn vegetation along rivers and streams, those plants are no longer able to hold onto soil, rocks, and other matter on the stream banks. This leads to dramatically increased erosion, landslides, flooding and water contamination. The turbid, contaminated water that rivers carry downstream can overwhelm drinking water systems that rely on surface water. Wildfires also threaten drinking water systems directly by destroying critical infrastructure. Photos from the 2020 Riverside Fire in Oregon (report linked below) clearly demonstrate this threat.
If you live in the Western or Southern U.S., you are probably already thinking about the risk of wildfires for your water system. What threat do wildfires really pose to drinking water systems? And how can systems plan and prepare for the effects of wildfire, as those threats become more pressing each year? A case study from Oregon demonstrates some of the key emergency considerations for water systems, followed by a resource list to begin planning to protect your system’s source water from the effects of wildfires.
Water system responses to the devastating 2020 Oregon fire season
Oregon’s 2020 wildfire season was the most destructive on record. In 2022, the Oregon Health Authority collected water system responses to key issues in wildfire response, and published a summary of those responses. Read the StoryMap summary here, and the full report here. Below are the key learnings, according to responses from the survey of Oregon water systems affected by the 2020 fires:
- Emergency planning and preparation is essential: Respondents highlighted several key resources in water system wildfire preparedness. System staff should be trained and knowledgeable of protocol, and systems should keep an updated and realistic emergency response plan. Systems should invest in infrastructure that is resilient to and protected from fire, and investment in additional emergency assets like portable generators.
- All operators surveyed stressed the importance of open, transparent, and pre-established communication between systems, emergency personnel, and partnering agencies responding to the emergency. They also found it challenging to communicate directly with the public and battle misinformation. It is also important to have pre-established modes of communication with customers and community members in your service area.
- Seeking financial assistance was a major challenge for the survey respondents. They noted that it would be good to know ahead of an emergency where to look for funds, and that it is crucial to have proper documentation and record keeping, which is important in funding application.
Your response
Planning for wildfire is becoming increasingly non-negotiable, especially if your water system’s source water (like many in the U.S.) runs through or comes from forested land before it comes to your plant. Below are suggestions and resources to support your work in reducing your water system’s vulnerability to wildfire:
- Join the Water/Wastewater Agency Response Network (WARN) in your state
- Many states in the U.S. have a WARN: Search for the one in your state and join. Membership is free, assistance is voluntary, and having a network of other systems you can call up for support in an emergency like wildfire is crucial.
- And for that matter, talk with neighboring systems and work together to develop a resiliency plan for your area. Discuss the most critical areas and infrastructure and decide how you will work together to prepare for and respond to a wildfire.
- See if your State has published a guide on wildfire preparedness and/or has a wildfire response dashboard. If not, reference another state’s, like the Wildfire Preparedness Guidance for Oregon’s Public Drinking Water Providers and the Oregon Wildfire Response & Recovery Dashboard.
- Start developing a Source Water Protection Plan that discusses preparation for and response to wildfire:
- See previous EFCN podcast for an interview with a Source Water Protection expert.
- The EPA and other agencies provide funding for source water protection plans.
- Make sure your Asset Management Plan, and particularly your system risk and criticality analyses, account for risks to your assets posed by wildfire. What are the projected wildfire risks in your area? What do you know from experience to be your watershed’s vulnerability to wildfire? These types of questions should be rolled into your criticality assessment.