At the November meeting of the California Water Quality Monitoring Council, a comprehensive presentation shed light on the growing challenges posed by wildfires to drinking water systems. The discussion covered wildfire trends and behavior in California, the contamination that can occur in the aftermath of fires, the critical importance of post-fire water quality monitoring and the evolving best practices to address these issues. As wildfires become more frequent and severe, the presentation highlighted actions the State Water Board’s Division of Drinking Water is taking to protect public health and ensure the safety of drinking water systems in fire-affected communities.