To illustrate the pervasiveness of damage caused by California’s rising epidemic of wildfires, researchers are now connecting the problem to an influx of dangerous contaminants in drinking water delivery systems.

Due to increasingly dry conditions, California’s forests are becoming highly susceptible to rampant wildfires, a trend highlighted by the so-called “Camp Fire” in November 2018, the state’s most destructive wildfire on record. In addition to damaging property and jeopardizing lives, this most recent catastrophe presented massive obstacles for drinking water treatment operations.