Wildfires are contaminating drinking water systems, and it’s more widespread than people realize

Wildfires have the ability to contaminate drinking water in a few ways – the heat from the fire may release chemicals from plastic pipes, or carcinogens from the fire may be transferred into the water. With the annual number of fires rising, the amount of people who are affected by water contamination rises as well. Water from filtration systems, private wells, and plumbing are all at risk, and so are those who are affected by contaminated water. There are a handful of symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, lightheadedness and headaches which may occur after being exposed to water contaminated by a wildfire. There have been multiple circumstances where authorities have given bad advice or have mislead the public regarding the safety of the water. For example, a lightning fire from last year which took place near Santa Cruz caused the local health department to advise private well owners against using the water. However, one damaged water system did not advise its users against bathing in the water, which was later found to be unsafe and advised against. The safest thing to do is to always assume drinking water is chemically unsafe until proven otherwise. Some signs that the water is contaminated following a wildfire are reduced water pressure, discoloration of the water, heat damage, broken or leaking pipes, valves or hydrants. Any concerns about these signs can be addressed by public health officials.