Western wildfires increasingly intersect critical water supply watersheds
New research examining more than eight decades of wildfire activity found that fires are burning more land in Western watersheds that supply water to millions of people. The study published in Communications Earth & Environment [September/2026] analyzed wildfire trends from 1940 through 2024 across approximately 17,000 watersheds in 11 Western states. Led by Dalston J. Karto, a San Diego State University computational science doctoral student, and Alicia M. Kinoshita, the study was conducted in collaboration with researchers from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the U.S. Geological Survey. The researchers found that some of the watersheds most important for generating runoff and supplying downstream drinking water are experiencing significant increases in burned area.
Other water and wildfire news:
- California Department of Water Resources: News release: Watershed after fire: New report summarizes years of water quality monitoring in the Sacramento watershed
- San Diego Union-Tribune: La Jolla Scenic Drive North being eyed as site for new water reservoir to help firefighters
