Wildfire effects on water quality in forest catchments: A review with implications for water supply

Abstract

Wildfires burn extensive forest areas around the world each year. In many locations, fire-prone forest catchments are utilised for the supply of potable water to small communities up to large cities. Following wildfire, increased erosion rates and changes to runoff generation and pollutant sources may greatly increase fluxes of sediment, nutrients and other water quality constituents, potentially contaminating water supplies. Most research to date has focused on suspended sediment exports and concentrations after wildfire. Reported first year post-fire suspended sediment exports varied from 0.017 to 50tha-1year-1 across a large range of catchment sizes (0.021-1655km2). This represented an es..