‘Public water systems not designed to handle wildfires’: BYU professor warns of potential dangers

PROVO, Utah (ABC4) — With persisting dry conditions and increasing wildfire risk, a Brigham Young University (BYU) professor says public water systems are not designed to handle wildfires, and residents need to be more mindful about conserving water and using their fire sense.

“A fire hydrant is not an unlimited supply of water; it’s just the most visible endpoint of a largely hidden system whose main purpose is to provide reliable drinking water every day, not extinguish a wildfire,” Professor Rob Sowby who teaches and studies environmental engineering, urban water infrastructure and sustainability at BYU, told ABC4.com.

According to the U.S. Fire Administration, Fire departments across the country are increasingly being called upon to respond to Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) fires, including brush, grass, forest fires, or other outdoor fires. This is one of the most dangerous and complicated situations firefighters face.

According to the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands, WUI is commonly described as the zone where structures and other human development meet and intermingle with undeveloped wildland or vegetative fuels. 

Utah has over 700 “Communities at Risk” within or near the WUI. Sowby says such interfaces often have dense vegetation, which increases fire risks or limits emergency response.

Hydrants and water systems

“Water systems serving residential areas are designed to supply fire flows of about 1,500 gallons per minute. That might be one or two open fire hydrants. Larger buildings like offices and warehouses require more, perhaps 4,000 gallons per minute,” Sowby noted. “But any fire flow is an extreme case that can be sustained only for a few hours. In the Palisades fire, where 11 million gallons of stored water drained in half a day, the flow was about 15,000 gallons per minute— 10 times the typical residential fire flow.”

This indicates that water systems that people assume can save us from a disaster were never meant for such a task.

As of August 2024, 767,675 gallons of water were used to help fight about 961 fires across the state. ABC4.com has reached out to the Division of Natural Resources to get the total amount of water used in 2024 to fight wildfires.

During the Palisades Fire in California, officials said the massive demand for water led to crews dealing with dozens of “dry” hydrants that had diminished water pressure and, in some cases, no water at all.  

“Maybe the public has developed this expectation that the water system will save them from wildfire damage, but that’s not what public water systems were meant to do. It’s a shared responsibility for the water system to meet its designed capacity but also help educate customers and residents about limitations…it’s a shared responsibility among all stakeholders in the community,” Sowby said.

Possible solutions

According to Utah Fire Info, there are about 431 fires in Utah so far this year, of which 327 are human-caused.

Officials say creating a defensible space around your home, using fire-resistant landscaping, and practicing safe fire behavior is key to preventing human-caused wildfires.

“In a changing climate, conditions may be hotter and drier than in the past, drying out vegetation that is ready to ignite,” Sowby cautioned.

Governor Spencer Cox (R-Utah) has called upon Utahns to conserve water and reduce their fire risk. He has also declared a state of emergency over drought concerns in 17 counties and issued recommendations on conserving water throughout the state.

Since 2000, Utah’s population has increased by almost 48% and is projected to increase by another 49% by 2050. 

Officials are urging residents to use their fire sense and adopt landscaping with native plants instead of turf.