Wildfires Impact On Water Explained by Experts

Report Released by Canadian Water Network and Water Research Foundation Offersa Comprehensive Look on How Wildfires Affect Our Water Supplies

Forested regions account for a substantial proportion of the water supplying thepopulation of North America. In Alberta, the majority of water supplies originate on the forestedeastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains—the headwaters to hundreds of communities in Albertaand the Prairie provinces.

When wildfires occur in remote forested watersheds, their potentialimpacts on water supplies, water quality, and stream health can extend far downstream andpersist for many years.

The effects of wildfires pose risks to water supplies, potentiallycompromising the ability of water systems to deliver safe drinking water to the public.

Although studies to date have explored aspects of the relationship of wildfires to waterquality, a comprehensive assessment of the potential impacts of wildfires on drinking waterutilities has not been conducted.

Research to identify the key threats posed by wildfires to watersupply and treatment; forest and water management options to mitigate wildfire risks to watersupply and treatment; and the relative impacts and efficacy of forest and water managementoptions in mitigating wildfire risks to water supply and treatment is still in its infancy.

At the request of Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development (ESRD),and in partnership with the Water Research Foundation (WRF), Canadian Water Network(CWN) convened a two-day experts' workshop in Kananaskis, Alberta, to assess the state ofknowledge with respect to wildfires, water supplies, and the potential for mitigation of theimpacts of wildfire on the provision of safe drinking water.

From September 18 to 19, 2013,thirty leading scientists and practitioners from Canada, the United States, and abroad discussedwhat leading-edge science exists to explain trends in wildfire occurrence and risks, the impactsof wildfires on water supply and treatment, and the evidence supporting the effectiveness offorest and water management techniques to mitigate the impacts of wildfires on drinking watersupplies and treatment.

The following report captures the high-level messages that emerged through theworkshop discussions and the relative state of the confidence in current abilities to address thequestions considered.

These key messages are relevant for decision-makers and practitioners inthe fields of water supply and treatment, land and natural resource management, public health,risk management, and emergency preparedness, with a common interest in determining the mostappropriate steps to mitigate the impacts of wildfire on the provision of safe drinking water.

Theworkshop was scoped with Alberta's needs as central to the design, yet the experts discussed thebest available knowledge based on their own experiences in other forested locations. Hence, theoutcomes of this workshop are equally relevant to many areas in the U.S. and other countryconditions.

Source: CWN

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