Wildfires & Wastewater Treatment

Climate change is driving a marked increase in immensely destructive wildfire occurrences in several parts of the United States. In fact, the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) reported over 64,000 wildfires in 2024. These reported fires consumed nearly 9 million acres in a single year, which was more than a three-fold increase over the acreage burned in 2023.

As the number of wildfires and the amount of land they cover grow, the potential for costly burn damage increases. However, this damage isn’t just limited to forests or homes either. Long-term effects include issues with water supply systems that are fed by watersheds that have experienced extensive burning. Water running over the surface carries along a number of contaminants and debris that can enter wastewater systems and affect treatment efficiency. Without proper treatment, dissolved chemicals could leech into the environment at concentrated rates, threatening freshwater supplies.

In this article, we’ll further discuss how wildfires impact wastewater treatment efforts and how businesses like JWC Environmental can help you mitigate damage and improve wildfire resilience.

Wastewater Treatment Challenges in Areas With Higher Wildfire Risks

 

There are three major challenges to facilities in high-risk areas: water contamination, infrastructure damage, and power outages/interruptions.

Water Contamination

Even in a natural environment like a forest, the combustion process creates a range of chemicals and compounds from wood, leaves, and other debris. When the fire affects occupied areas and burns manmade materials, the complexity and concentration of chemicals increase dramatically. Just the ash alone easily dissolves in any water that runs over the surface, changing the pH of the dirt where it settles and clogging up waterways.

When the contaminated water reaches the wastewater treatment plant, it may arrive as stormwater with direct contamination or as groundwater that has been partially filtered but still contains hazardous chemicals. The ash and debris still mixed into the water can not only affect filtration membranes and screens directly but also contain nutrients that feed algae blooms. Even partially filtered runoff water may contain enough ash to trigger this problem during the early stages of treatment.

Wildfire contaminants affect the treatment efficiency at the wastewater plant at multiple levels. Ash, debris, and algae all clog the screens and membranes used for filtration. Other parts of the treatment process may work as designed but take longer, require more chemicals, or cost more to complete. If nothing else, you can expect extra wear and tear on your filtration equipment that shortens its lifespan and increases the need for maintenance work. In most cases, you can adjust intake systems at the first warning signs of nearby wildfires and avoid the majority of these issues.

Damage to Infrastructure

Direct damage from the fire is also a concern for most wastewater treatment plants in high-risk areas, although it’s far less of a threat than water contamination. Even if the wildfire doesn’t fully engulf the equipment or facility to cause structural damage, heat exposure is still a significant problem.

Grinders, agitators, pumps, filters, and other pieces of equipment are all susceptible to heat damage during any kind of fire. Excessive heat even has a negative effect on the bacteria that do the heavy lifting of wastewater treatment. It’s often impossible to completely divert or shut down water treatment for heavily settled areas, making it essential to avoid damage whenever possible.

Power Outages & Interruptions

In addition to directly damaging wastewater treatment equipment, wildfires can damage the power grid and interrupt the electrical supply. This halts the processing stages and may lead to discharges of contaminated water if the system doesn’t have the correct fail safes. Power outages can go on for days or even weeks, and many wastewater treatment plants across the country lack full-sized generators or backup power systems.

How JWC Environmental Can Help

Integrated Bypass Weirs

Bypass weirs are one of the best additions to a wastewater system to prevent power outages, especially in the case of widespread wildfires that could leave the grid down for weeks on end. These weirs are built into the intake system and are easily switched to direct water away from the usual feed paths for treatment. Bypass weirs allow you to temporarily direct wastewater into a storage basin for later treatment or an outfall area that can accept the contaminants.

JWC Environmental offers a Muffin Monster Manhole grinder that’s available with an optional built-in bypass weir. In addition to being easy to install, our grinder makes short work of debris like charcoal and large ash particles to prevent clogging issues.

Screen Rebuilds

Screening is essential for protecting the rest of the wastewater treatment system from larger chunks of debris like charcoal, partially burned wood, melted or burned bits of trash, and other wildfire contributions. Wildfire wastewater is likely to have elevated levels of grit and debris, making screens more important than ever to overall system health.

If you’re already using JWC’s Monster Screens, such as the Bandscreen, Finescreen, Chain & Rake, and Bar Screen systems, we offer a screen rebuilding program* to help you recover from unexpected damage. Keeping your screens well-maintained and ready to deal with heavy debris loads will reduce the chances of a catastrophic failure that leaves debris cascading into the rest of the system or backing up through the rest of the drainage arrangement.

*JWC Environmental also offers a repair program for damaged Monster grinders.

Equipment Upgrades

If any wastewater equipment is damaged during a wildfire, JWC Environmental can rapidly replace units with our line of BABA-certified equipment, including:

• Coarse screens like the Mechanical Bar Screen Monster or Chain & Rake Monster to keep your headworks flowing.
• Fine screening equipment like our Finescreen or Bandscreen Monster.
• Our classic In-Line Muffin Monster® grinders for processing all kinds of debris, from large chunks of wood down to ash grit.

Even if your area rarely experiences wildfires, upgrading to some of our best options could help keep your system working smoothly, even when there’s an emergency. For example, our 40K In-Line Muffin Monster connects to pipelines as small as 12 inches and can handle flow rates as high as 6,860 GPM.

Learn More About Our Solutions

Founded in 1973, JWC Environmental specializes in manufacturing dependable, globally impactful waste grinders and screening systems and is dedicated to helping our clients overcome wastewater challenges.

Whether you need help replacing damaged wastewater equipment or need guidance on staying resilient, we’re ready to help. You can visit our website to find your local JWC Environmental representative or contact us today to start planning out your rebuild or repairs.