Examining drinking water vulnerability from increased frequency and intensity of wildland fires

Wildland fires can negatively affect freshwater resources through release of a variety of pollutants. Nutrients releasedfrom wildland fires can also contribute to downstream eutrophication and harmful algal blooms that can adversely affectdownstream aquatic ecosystems. The impact of wildland fires on on these systems is an area of increasing concern, withapproximately 66% of the U.S freshwater supply originating from forested watersheds. This research aims to assessa variety of pollutants among 361 freshwater lakes or reservoirs in the western and southeastern United States. Datawill be obtained pre and post fires from a variety of sources including water treatment reports and satellite observations(HABs, sedimentation, etc.). This study is a continuation of the StRAP 3 deliverable "A vulnerability assessment ofwildland fire impacts to public drinking water in the western and southeastern United States", 2021. FTE only.

Impact/Purpose

SCERIN and MedRIN Workshop in 2024 held in Chania, Greece July 14-19 will focus on Land Cover Change (LCC) and Extreme Events in the context of climate change, with remote sensing topics to address, including: water scarcity, heat waves, wildland fire, droughts, flash floods, urban expansion, regional wars and migrations, and human health. SCERIN and MEDRIN are informal regional information networks for scientists working with Earth Observation in Southeastern and Central Europe, and the Mediterranean, respectively. The networks are organized in the framework of the Global Observations of Forest Cover and Land Dynamics (GOFC-GOLD), working primarily on land applications such as land cover dynamics and forest cover. Within this framework, Dr. Iiames has established connections with Eastern European researchers in evaluating water quality and wildland fire impacts within this region. Researchers in Bulgaria and Croatia have expressed interest in knowledge transfer of techniques outlined in Iiames first authored publications and reports evaluating (1) at-risk water bodies to wildland fire impacts to drinking water quality (“A vulnerability assessment of wildland fire impacts to public drinking water in the western and southeastern United States” Iiames et al., 2021, Internal EPA Report) and (2) harmful algal bloom drivers (“Modeling Anthropogenic and Environmental Influences on Freshwater Harmful Algal Bloom Development Detected by MERIS Over the Central United States”, Iiames et al., 2021, Water Resources Research 57.10 (2021): e2020WR028946.). Within this context, this presentation will address these topics

Citation

Iiames, J., Don Ebert, S. Miller, AND T. Minich. Examining drinking water vulnerability from increased frequency and intensity of wildland fires. SCERIN and MedRIN Workshop 2024, Chania, Crete, GREECE, July 16 - 19, 2024.