Wildfires Can Contaminate Drinking Water With Harmful Chemicals. Here’s What to Know
January 11, 2025 | Source: PBS News | by Andrew J. Whelton, The Conversation
The wildfires in the Los Angeles area have destroyed more than 10,000 structures, many of them homes, and firefighters continue to battle the infernos. Parts of Pacific Palisades, Altadena, Pasadena and other California communities are now unrecognizable.
As evacuation orders are lifted, safe drinking water should be top of mind for those residents able to return to their homes.
What many people don’t realize is the extent to which their community drinking water systems can be damaged by fire, how their water is affected and what they can do about it.
As an environmental engineer, I work with communities affected by wildfires and other disasters. Over the years, my team and I have been called in to help after some of the most destructive wildfires in U.S. history. In some cases, we have advised state and local officials from afar.
Several local water systems in the Los Angeles area have begun issuing warnings about not using the potentially unsafe drinking water. Here’s what residents in the area, and anyone else living near where a wildfire burns, need to know.