Date: Thursday, October 29, 2026 | 2:00 - 3:00 PM Eastern
SPONSORED WEBINAR provided by Uni-Bell PVC Pipe Association
Over the last decade, forest fires have devastated municipalities from California to Colorado, often severely impacting local drinking water systems. While some media reports have incorrectly blamed PVC water mains as the source of benzene and other contaminants found in drinking water systems affected by wildfires, evidence indicates that the primary sources are from the combustion of trees with burning homes and other structures as secondary sources. The most likely cause of contaminants entering municipal water systems after a wildfire is not from melting mains but via damaged service lines and system-wide depressurization.
This webinar will discuss how wildfires impact water distribution pipelines from two world-renowned experts: Kevin Phillips, District Manager of Paradise Irrigation District, CA, whose community was impacted by the 2018 Camp Fire, and Dr. Brad Wham, Ph.D., EIT, M.ASCE, Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Nevada, Reno, who has conducted extensive research on how wildfires affect water networks with the aim of improving their resilience against severe hazards. Dr. Wham undertook critical wildfire research on water infrastructure following the December 2021 Marshall Fire which devastated Louisville, Colorado.
Presentations
How Paradise, CA’s Water Distribution System was Impacted by a Wildfire
Kevin Phillips, District Manager of Paradise Irrigation District (PID), CA
A discussion of how the 2018 Camp Fire impacted Paradise, California's water distribution system when massive water outflows and broken service connections caused widespread depressurization. Initial testing by the PID and California State Water Resources Control Board (CSWRCB) revealed that nearly a third of the tested lines were contaminated, with benzene concentrations in some areas significantly exceeding safe regulatory levels. To ensure safe water delivery to the rebuilding community, the PID and CSWRCB undertook massive rebuilding and testing initiatives.
Current Research on How Wildfires Affect Underground Water Infrastructure
Dr. Brad Wham, Ph.D., EIT, M.ASCE, Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Nevada, Reno
A look at resent research on how wildfires impact water networks and contaminate buried drinking water infrastructure through depressurization and back-siphoning. As an infrastructure and pipeline systems expert, Dr. Wham collaborates heavily with researchers like Dr. Erica Fischer and the Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI) to study post-fire volatile organic compound (VOC) contamination. Dr. Wham and his co-authors demonstrated that wildfires contaminate drinking water systems without ever damaging water mains directly.