CWAG Calendar

Wednesday, October 30, 2024

NEW! 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. Western Water Assessment (WWA) Webinar Series -- Burning Issues: Assessing Water Quality Challenges Post-Wildfire. Wildfires pose significant challenges to water treatment plants and freshwater systems by increasing sediment, nutrient, and dissolved organic matter (DOM) loads in streamflow, as well as exacerbating flooding through elevated runoff rates. This presentation by WWA Director Ben Livneh will highlight findings from a multi-scale analysis that examines the effects of wildfires on sediment, nutrients, DOM, and runoff across multiple watersheds.  Broad watershed-scale changes in water quality were assessed using 241 forested watersheds in the western United States. In burned watersheds, water quality was significantly altered during the first 2-3 years with changes to sediment and turbidity lasting up to 6 years. By assessing both small-scale mechanisms and broad-scale effects, this work aims to advance our understanding of wildfire impacts on watersheds and to identify key knowledge gaps. More info and to register HERE: LOCATION: Zoom webinar only.