Wildfires don’t just burn farmland – they also can contaminate the water farmers use to irrigate their fields and feed livestock.

The wildfires that raged on Maui, Hawaii, in August 2023 became the deadliest fire within the United States in greater than a century. While damage to homes and tourism attracted many of the attention, agriculture was also severely affected across the island, and the damage didn’t stop after the flames were extinguished.

In some cases, the fires smoldered underground for weeks. Water systems were destroyed and a few were contaminated in ways in which scientists are only starting to know.

As Environmental engineerI work with communities affected by wildfires and other disasters, and I led a team of university and public works professionals to assist Maui fight the fires.

In a latest study Building on this, my team worked with the Hawaii Department of Agriculture to look at damaged water systems, including water mains, wells, and pumps essential to livestock and crops. It was the primary study of its kind to look at wildfire damage to agricultural water systems.

The results show the damage that may occur when fire ravages buildings and function a warning to agricultural areas elsewhere. on average over 60,000 forest fires and seven.2 million hectares of land are burned yearly, it is evident that forest fires are a problem for society as a complete.

Contaminated water infrastructure poses risks

Wildfires often cause power outages that may knock out the water pumps that farmers and ranchers depend on. They also can damage pipes, which might release toxic chemicals which have long-term effects.

Recent studies by my team and others on urban water systems have shown Water sources and even the pipes and tanks can unsafe to make use ofStudies in fire-affected areas have found levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) corresponding to benzene, a carcinogen. above the bounds for hazardous wasteContact with this water could cause immediate harm to humans.

When water pumps stop working or components are destroyed, municipal water systems lose pressure. When this happens, VOCs can penetrate out of heated or burning plasticsStructures and vegetation.

An insidious challenge is that VOCs penetrate plastic Water pipesSeals and tanks like water penetrating a sponge. Even after bad water is rinsed out, chemicals can leach from the plastic and contaminate the water. uncertain for weeks to months. Damaged components should be replaced.

However, after the Maui fires, there have been no immediate guidelines on how farmers and ranchers should inspect and test their water systems.

Learning from Maui’s experiences

Farms and ranches had many plastic water supply components. On one ranch, a fireplace destroyed greater than nine miles of plastic water pipe. Much of the pipe ran above ground next to fences, which also burned.

Plastic irrigation systems were destroyed. Numerous other components melted, leaked or had no water. The power outage sometimes meant that water pumps could not fill the pipes with water.

While Wells can turn out to be contaminated and good Housings can burnThe wells themselves weren’t contaminated. This was primarily since the wells were situated away from flammable materials and firefighters and grounds personnel helped protect them.

However, debris and smoke particles entered animal troughs, buckets and water troughs. These items needed to be emptied and cleaned for the protection of the animals. The water systems were repeatedly flushed with clean water after the fireplace, and VOC testing of the water supply revealed no remaining contamination.

Many questions still should be answered

Many questions remain unanswered. Because there was no method to find out volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in agricultural water systems before the fires, there may be also no data on the frequency and severity of this kind of pollution.

Not all municipal water systems affected by fires turn out to be contaminated. Contamination varies depending on the placement, system, and the fires themselves.

There can also be no data on the extent to which this wildfire-contaminated water would harm animals and plants. Would animals avoid the water and turn out to be dehydrated? Could plants turn out to be contaminated? Will the contamination affect the meat of livestock? Many of those unanswered questions require the expertise of veterinarians and plant and soil scientists.

What are the solutions?

One thing was clear: farmers and ranchers lacked adequate guidance to stop wildfire-related pollution of their water systems. Some Learned from practice might help these community members get back on their feet:

• A defensible space needs to be created by storing equipment 30 feet away manufactured from flammable materials. Burying plastic parts 3 feet underground helps protect them from fire.

• Similar to municipal water systems after a fireplace, damaged agricultural water systems Components needs to be isolatedPipes and tanks needs to be refilled promptly and flushed thoroughly with water to remove any contaminants.

• Water supply equipment, including troughs, buckets and tire drinkers, needs to be emptied and cleaned. If contamination is suspected, chemical water evaluation In some cases, a component alternative is mandatory.

A 2024 Survey of California farmers shows that the highest three resources relied on and desired during wildfires are generators, water pumps, and water storage tanks. These items would help prevent pressure loss and contamination within the water system.

Who might help?

The risk of wildfires on farms and ranches could be reduced. State and Federal Ministries of Agriculture and insurance firms can provide financial assistance. Technical assistance is available at universities.

By mitigating the impacts of wildfires and accelerating recovery, farms and ranches can do useful work to support health and the economy.