Wildfire Impacts on Water Infrastructure
About this Webinar
Originally presented on September 11, 2024
Over 56,000 wildfires were reported in 2023 according to the Department of Interior's National Interagency Fire Center. Many of these fires have destroyed countless acres of land as well as any structure on them. In August 2023, a wildfire in Maui, Hawai'i impacted over 2,000 structures and is considered the deadliest United States wildfire in at least the past 100 years.
Contamination of drinking water systems and premise plumbing from wildfires is an emerging concern, especially in the Western United States. Much about wildfire-associated contamination from benzene and other hazardous materials is not well understood. Knowledge gaps complicate response and recovery actions as well as efforts to build water systems resilience against future wildfires.
This presentation will discuss EPA's emergency response efforts to the Maui wildfires and ongoing research to further understand contamination of water infrastructure. Research topics include uptake and release of contaminants in hot and cold pipes commonly used in premise plumbing and the effects of hot gasses and smoke on drinking water pipes.
About the Presenters
Bill Platten is an Environmental Engineer in EPA's Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water, where he helps drinking water systems monitor for and respond to drinking water contamination. His current focus is on response, decontamination, and recovery for contamination in both drinking water distribution systems and premise plumbing. He also has research experience in hydraulic and water quality modeling, municipal and industrial wastewater treatment, and water reuse. He holds a B.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from the University of Cincinnati.
Samantha Bishop is an Environmental Engineer with EPA Region 9 in the Drinking Water Program. Samantha supports oversight of public water systems in Nevada and Hawai'i, is the regional point of contact for Disaster Resilient Water Infrastructure, and regional staff lead for the Water Reuse Action Plan. Her past graduate work includes modeling advanced water treatment and energy processes to minimize the environmental impacts of water treatment. Samantha has a B.S. in Environmental Engineering from University of Southern California and a M.S. in Environmental Engineering from Stanford University.
Levi Haupert is a Physical Scientist in EPA Office of Research and Development's Center for Environmental Solutions and Emergency Response. His current research interests include modeling ion exchange filter performance and studying transport of contaminants in polymers. Levi earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Purdue University where he studied nonlinear optical properties of crystals.