Water Safety After Wildfire: Wells and Drinking Water

Wildfire can affect drinking water in ways that are easy to miss. Power loss, heat damage to pipes, ash, and runoff can all change water quality, especially for private wells and storage tanks.

When to avoid your water

• A boil-water or do-not-drink notice has been issued for your system
• Water looks cloudy, discolored, or has a smoky or chemical smell
• Your well house, pump, or plumbing was damaged by fire
• Ash or runoff has entered a well, cistern, or storage tank

When in doubt, use bottled water for drinking, cooking, and brushing teeth.

Steps for well owners

1. Inspect the well and wellhead for damage, debris, and signs of flooding.
2. Do not drink the water until tested. Contact your county health office or a certified lab for bacteria and other testing.
3. Flush the system and disinfect as directed by health officials if test results call for it.
4. Retest after heavy rain. Runoff from burned areas can change water quality.

Treat water safely

Boiling at a rolling boil for at least one minute (three minutes at higher elevations) kills most germs, but it does not remove chemicals or ash. If you suspect contamination beyond bacteria, rely on bottled water until officials say otherwise.

Plastic pipes and water heaters near burned buildings may also be damaged, so have plumbing checked before use. For more on returning to a burned property, read Returning Home Safely After a Wildfire.

See Immediate Safety for more safety steps, and Additional Resources for state and federal water guidance.