DISINFECTION BY-PRODUCTS
; CLIMATE-CHANGE
; UNITED-STATES
; FIRE WEATHER
; RIVER-BASIN
; CANADA
; ALBERTA
; IMPACTS
; QUALITY
; SYSTEMS
WOS学科分类:
Forestry
WOS研究方向:
Forestry
英文摘要:
Recent human-interface wildfires around the world have raised concerns regarding the reliability of freshwater supply flowing from severely burned watersheds. Degraded source water quality can often be expected after severe wildfire and can pose challenges to drinking water facilities by straining treatment response capacities, increasing operating costs, and jeopardizing their ability to supply consumers. Identifying source watersheds that are dangerously exposed to post-wildfire hydrologic changes is important for protecting community drinking-water supplies from contamination risks that may lead to service disruptions. This study presents a spatial index of watershed exposure to wildfires in the province of Alberta, Canada, where growing water demands coupled with increasing fire activity threaten municipal drinking-water supplies. Using a multi-criteria analysis design, we integrated information regarding provincial forest cover, fire danger, source water volume, source-water origin (i.e., forested/un-forested), and population served. We found that (1) >2/3 of the population of the province relies on drinking-water supplies originating in forested watersheds, (2) forest cover is the most important variable controlling final exposure scores, and (3) watersheds supplying small drinking water treatment plants are particularly exposed, especially in central Alberta. The index can help regional authorities prioritize the allocation of risk management resources to mitigate adverse impacts from wildfire. The flexible design of this tool readily allows its deployment at larger national and continental scales to inform broader water security frameworks.
1.Univ Alberta, Canada Wildfire, Renewable Resources, 751 Gen Serv Bldg, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H1, Canada 2.Oregon State Univ, Dept Forest Engn Resources & Management, Corvallis, OR 97331 USA 3.Univ Alberta, Dept Renewable Resources, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H1, Canada 4.Univ Waterloo, Dept Civil & Environm Engn, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada 5.Univ Alberta, Dept Renewable Resources, Canada Wildfire, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H1, Canada 6.Nat Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Serv, Northern Forestry Ctr, Edmonton, AB T6H 3S5, Canada 7.Nat Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Serv, 1219 Queen St East, Sault Ste Marie, ON P6A 2E5, Canada 8.Great Lake Forestry Ctr, 1219 Queen St East, Sault Ste Marie, ON P6A 2E5, Canada 9.Univ Lethbridge, Dept Geog, Alberta Water & Environm Sci Bldg,4401 Univ Dr, Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4, Canada 10.Univ South Africa, Appl Behav Ecol & Ecosyst Res Unit, POB 392, ZA-1710 Pretoria, South Africa 11.Brock Univ, Fac Social Sci, Niagara Reg, 1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way, St Catharines, ON L2S 3A1, Canada
Recommended Citation:
Robinne, Francois-Nicolas,Bladon, Kevin D.,Silins, Uldis,et al. A Regional-Scale Index for Assessing the Exposure of Drinking-Water Sources to Wildfires[J]. FORESTS,2019-01-01,10(5)