Wildfires Threaten Water Quality for up to Eight Years After They Burn, Study Shows

Water Contaminant Levels Can Remain High for Eight Years After a Wildfire, Study Finds

It’s no secret that smoke and other contaminants from wildfires can pollute the air, soil and water during and after a blaze burns out. But now, scientists are warning that wildfire pollutants can continue to contaminate local waterways for up to eight years after a wildfire event. In a new study, led by scientists at University of Colorado at Boulder’s Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), experts analyzed 100,00…

Wildfires leave lasting scars on water supplies by spreading contaminants for years

Communities that rely on forested watersheds for drinking water face prolonged risks after wildfires, as new research shows pollutants can persist in rivers for nearly a decade.Ben Livneh writes for The Conversation.In short:A large-scale study of 245 burned and 300 unburned watersheds in the western U.S. found that wildfires significantly degrade water quality, with contaminants spiking up to 286 times above normal levels.Key pollutants include…

Pollution from wildfires can contaminate our water for up to 8 years, study finds

When wildfires devastated a wide swath of Los Angeles last winter, officials warned residents of several ZIP codes not to drink the water, or boil it first if they must. They worried that soot, ash, and other debris from the blazes might have infiltrated the groundwater, or that damaged pipes might allow toxins into the supply. The last of these “do not drink” orders was lifted last month. But the first large-scale study of post-wildfire water q…

Wildfire smoke – crop damage possible

The past several years have been marked by an increase in the frequency and severity of wildfires in the western United States and Canada. The effects of those fires have been devastating on the areas directly impacted, and smoke from…

Scientists sound alarm over dangerous long-term impacts of wildfires

Wildfires can pollute rivers and streams for nearly a decade after they burn

Residents still trying to rebuild after 2021 White Rock Lake wildfire

In July, four years will have passed since the White Rock Lake Wildfire swept through communities.