After nearly eight years of pursuing funding, Kimberley has successfully obtained $400,000 to investigate the potential impact of wildfires on its drinking water supply. The initiative was prompted by the 2018 Meachen Creek fire, which raised concerns about the susceptibility of local water sources.
Mathieu Bourbonnais, an assistant professor at UBC Okanagan and co-director of the Centre for Wildfire Coexistence, emphasized the importance of recognizing the reliance on the environment for drinking water, especially with the changing dynamics brought about by wildfires.
Kimberley draws its drinking water from the Mark Creek and Matthew Creek watersheds, making it vulnerable to quality and availability issues following severe wildfires. The project’s goal is to identify these risks and formulate strategies to mitigate them without compromising the water supply.
The recent Matthew Creek wildfire, which led to an evacuation alert for the entire city, has underscored the risks facing Kimberley’s watersheds. While the fire is not anticipated to significantly alter water movement through the watershed, concerns persist about the potential impact of a more intense blaze on the city’s water sources.
Bourbonnais and Gray are collaborating to model the behavior of fires in the Mark Creek watershed, with a focus on forest conditions, climate change projections, and their implications on water quality and streamflows. The research aims to anticipate how a severe fire could affect the timing and quality of water entering reservoirs.
Looking ahead, the study will also pinpoint areas where forest thinning, harvesting, and prescribed burning can reduce wildfire risks. However, balancing these mitigation efforts with maintaining water supply integrity presents a challenge that requires careful planning and execution.
The research, funded by the Columbia Basin Trust and the city, is projected to span two years. Its outcomes will not only inform future wildfire mitigation endeavors in Kimberley but also provide valuable insights for other communities facing similar challenges. The proactive approach is deemed necessary by Bourbonnais to mitigate the risks associated with doing nothing.
The project’s findings are anticipated to serve as a blueprint for future wildfire mitigation efforts and planning tools that can be adapted by other communities in the region.