After an extensive pursuit for funding spanning almost eight years, Kimberley City has successfully obtained $400,000 for a research project focused on assessing the potential impact of wildfires on its drinking water supply. The initiative stems from concerns raised during the 2018 Meachen Creek fire, highlighting the susceptibility of local water sources.
Mathieu Bourbonnais, an assistant professor at the University of British Columbia (UBC) Okanagan and co-director of the Centre for Wildfire Coexistence, emphasized the importance of recognizing the reliance on the environment for drinking water. He pointed out that wildfires are altering the behavior of natural systems that provide this essential resource.
Kimberley draws its drinking water from the Mark Creek and Matthew Creek watersheds, making it vulnerable to the effects of severe wildfires on water quality and availability long after the fires have been extinguished. The project’s primary goal is to identify these risks and develop strategies to mitigate them without compromising the water supply.
The recent Matthew Creek wildfire, which prompted an evacuation alert for the entire city during the summer, has reignited attention on the threats facing Kimberley’s watersheds. While wildland fire ecologist Bob Gray indicated that the immediate impact on water movement through the watershed is not expected to be significant, the concern remains about the potential consequences of a more severe fire in one of Kimberley’s drinking-water watersheds.
Bourbonnais, along with researchers at UBC Okanagan and Gray, is conducting modeling studies to anticipate how fires might behave in the Mark Creek watershed. The research will assess forest conditions, weather patterns, and climate change projections up to 2060, with a focus on understanding the potential effects of severe fires on water quality, streamflows, and reservoir water input timing.
The research outcomes will not only inform future wildfire mitigation efforts for Kimberley but also provide valuable insights and planning tools for other communities facing similar challenges. The project, funded by the Columbia Basin Trust and the city, is expected to span two years and aims to strike a balance between reducing fire risk and safeguarding water supplies.
Bourbonnais emphasized the importance of proactive measures, stating that the risks of inaction outweigh the benefits of taking a proactive approach towards mitigating wildfire threats to drinking water sources.