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By Erin Fee, Staff Writer & Researcher for Save The Water™ | December 23, 2018After much effort, less than a month ago, firefighters contained the California wildfires. But the aftermath of the fires remains no less than devastating. For example, Southern California’s Woolsey Fire killed at least 3 people.1 On top of that, the Butte County Camp Fire destroyed over 13,000 homes and took at least 85 lives, making it the deadliest wildfire in California’s history.1 Undoubtedly, the fires’ smoke impacted air quality, threatening the health of Californians and reaching as far as New York.2 As a matter of fact, less discussed, but no less important, the wildfires also affected water quality. Here are three ways wildfires can impact water.
First, everyday objects can contain a vast array of toxic chemicals. And fire causes those chemicals to be released into the ash when burned. To give just a few examples:3
Because of the release of toxic chemicals, wildfire sites continue to be hazardous even after the flames are extinguished.What’s more, this toxic ash can easily make its way into water systems, killing aquatic animals and poisoning our most valuable resource: water. For example, Paradise, California—the site of the Camp Fire—is located near important sources of drinking water in the Sierra Nevada. Hazardous material experts are working to contain the toxic ash contaminating the water, but they are up against an unprecedented level of destruction.3
Second, certain methods of extinguishing fires can also endanger humans and the environment in the long run. For instance, some types of firefighting foam contain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS.5 You can learn more about the health risks associated with PFAS, as well as recent water contamination crises caused by these chemicals, from this previous Save the WaterTM article. In short, PFAS is an extraordinarily long-lasting and mobile group of chemicals that impacts childhood development.Another group of substances that threatens clean water is fire retardants. Fire retardants reduce the speed or intensity of wildfires. Therefore, firefighting planes dump huge quantities of fire retardants on uncontrollable and spreading wildfires. This impacts water quality because they often contain high concentrations of ammonia. Ammonia, a pungent-smelling compound sometimes used for household cleaning, can quickly kill fish and disrupt aquatic ecosystems.4
Third, wildfires also increase the likelihood of flooding. Because soil changes as it burns, it often becomes more hydrophobic. In brief, “hydrophobic” means repelling water instead of absorbing it.6 Since the soil becomes less absorbent, less rainfall is needed to cause a flood. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, “A general rule of thumb is that half an inch of rainfall in less than an hour is sufficient to cause Flash Flooding in a burn area.”7In the Save The WaterTM article “Electroflocculation: A Potential Solution to Floodwater Dangers,” we explained that floodwater is loaded with hazardous chemicals and substances.8 When floods occur in former wildfire sites, the floodwaters also carry and spread the toxic ash we talked about earlier.
Like most, we at Save the WaterTM were relieved when California’s recent wildfires were finally contained. Yet, we at Save the WaterTM keep watching as the way water needs and water quality will be impacted and addressed continue to unfold. Here are four things you can do to about how wildfires impact water quality: