After the fire: Blazes pose hidden threat to the West's drinking water

[Ca.]

After the fire: Blazes pose hidden threat to the West's drinking water
Jan. 5, 2019 / 1:09 PM GMT+1
At least 65 percent of the public water supply in the Western U.S. comes from fire-prone areas, and wildfires can taint water with toxins and parasites.
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When Serene Buhrz turned the water on for the first time several days later, the chemical smell from their kitchen tap was overpowering.
"It was so strong you felt like you couldn't light a match," said her husband Gerald.

Santa Rosa Water found the problem was not confined to the Buhrz home. Throughout Fountaingrove, plastic water pipes had melted as houses burned, releasing a carcinogenic chemical called benzene into the neighborhood's water system.