Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID CO-2023-R06

Evaluation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Ash and Surface Waters after Fires at the Wildland-Urban Interface

Institute: Colorado
Year Established: 2023 Start Date: 2023-09-01 End Date: 2024-08-31
Total Federal Funds: $10,000 Total Non-Federal Funds: $10,000

Principal Investigators: Cresten Mansfeldt

Project Summary: Fires at the wildland-urban interface (WUI) affect hundreds of communities annually, causing widespread socioeconomic and environmental disturbances which result in the loss of life, ecological damage, and public health concerns. These events are not only destructive, but also release chemicals in the aftermath of the fires which present significant toxicity risks to the communities within and downstream of fire-impacted waters. As such, wildfires are sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), a class of compounds which has been included by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on the Priority Pollutant List due to their documented risks to both public health and wildlife. Therefore, there is a need to evaluate the relative contribution of PAHs to surface water contamination after WUI fires. The resulting risk assessment will assist water professionals and regulatory agencies in mitigating the public health impacts of WUI fires on municipal and agricultural water supplies.