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Water Quality Concerns After Wildfire - Introduction

Key Points

Wildfires can impact water quality via physical effects such as added sediments and debris. Sometimes this can re-route streams and affect water quality.

Chemical and biological changes to water can also occur after a wildfire. These changes can cause problems to human and animal drinking water as well as aquatic life.

Nitrate and phosphorus in surface waters increase following a wildfire. This can lead to to increased aquatic plant and algae growth.
By Gene Surber, Extension Natural Resources Specialist, Montana State University.

 

 

Wildfires not only impact vegetation and land animals (including human beings and their property) they can also trigger flooding and harm aquatic habitat and water quality.

The increased probability of catastrophic wildfires in the western United States and elsewhere in the world has increased the need to understand the effects fires may have on the physical and chemical properties of water.

Surface water flowing from burned areas may carry greater levels of sediment, organic debris and chemicals that may significant degrade water quality and impair aquatic habitats.