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The 280 square-mile Rim Fire threatens San Francisco's power and water supply.
California’s Rim Fire is now the size of Chicago. The 280 square mile blaze is burning in the Sierra Nevadas near Yosemite National Park and is threatening the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. That’s San Francisco’s main water supply. Water authorities are rushing to fill local water basins before ash reaches intake pumps far below the surface.
Firefighting experts say there’s no room for error.
San Francisco officials say no contamination has occurred. The reservoir, about 150 miles west of the city, supplies water to 2.6 million people in the Bay Area. If the water becomes too polluted by particulates from the fire, San Francisco would be forced to draw emergency waters from other reservoirs.
The turbidity of Hetch Hetchy water is only 0.2 now, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission officials told USA Today. Utility officials said that they have a six-month supply of water in reservoirs near the Bay Area.
“But threats to water supply could continue after the fire is out, as ash is washed into rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. After the burn, heavy rains can cause mass movement of charcoal, ash, and sediments – how much depends on the severity of the burn and the magnitude of the rains,” Arizona State University’s Stephen Pyne told the Christian Science Monitor.
The Rim Fire has also threatened San Francisco’s hydroelectric power generated by the reservoir's dam. Two of the facility's three powerhouses have been shut down because of fire damage. The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission has had to spend $600,000 thus far for power on the open market to make up for the loss.
Video: Pilots' View Of California's Rim Fire
California Gov. Jerry Brown has already declared a state of emergency for San Francisco, and fire experts say the situation shows why San Francisco must pay more attention to fire management in the Sierras.
The city's "wealth should be in part directed to help the (U.S.) Forest Service and (National) Park Service make for more defensible space around this critical urban infrastructure," fire expert Char Miller told the Christian Science Monitor.
Wally Covington of Northern Arizona’s Ecological Restoration Institute says this is what happens when global climate change meets forests thick with trees.
"These factors then conspire to set up a very explosive situation, so it’s really a crisis," Covington said in a 2012 interview with Fronteras Desk. "The key is we’ve got to get on top of it. We don’t have decades. We’ve got maybe 20 years to get on top of this problem before we’re in a whole new ballgame and a ballgame that’s not going to be fun to play."
While California’s Rim Fire burns in rural terrain it still could have a big impact on a major metropolitan area. Meanwhile more and more people are moving to the woods and taking the risk of living in fire prone areas.
But small cities like Flagstaff are preparing for the worst. Last year Flagstaff voters approved a $1 million bond to reduce flood risk due to fire-damaged land. Maybe big cities should follow the lead to be better equipped to handle such a crisis.
