ASTM E3312-21
(Guide)Standard Guide for Mitigation of Wildfire Impact to Source Water Protection Areas and Risk to Water Utilities
Standard Guide for Mitigation of Wildfire Impact to Source Water Protection Areas and Risk to Water Utilities
SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
4.1 This guide addresses issues related solely to strategies and the development of a plan to address wildfire-related physical and chemical changes to water resources in Source Water Protection Areas. This guide does not include specific advice on risk assessment. Mitigation strategies and planning may consist of a wide variety of actions by individuals, communities, or organizations to prepare for the impacts of wildfires on water quality and quantity in Source Water Protection Areas (see Guide E3136).
4.2 Source water protection activities not only help the utility identify risk, but they are also necessary to educate regulatory agencies, permitting authorities, and the community about the impacts that their actions can have on source water quality or quantity of the drinking water.
4.3 Example Users:
4.3.1 Federal, tribal, state, or municipal facility staff and regulators, including departments of health, water, sewer, and fire;
4.3.2 Financial and insurance institutions;
4.3.3 Federal, tribal, state, or local land managers;
4.3.4 Public works staff, including water systems, groundwater supplies, surface water supplies, stormwater systems, wastewater systems, publicly owned treatment works, and agriculture water management agencies;
4.3.5 Consultants, auditors, state, municipal and private inspectors, and compliance assistance personnel;
4.3.6 Educational facilities such as experimental forests and nature preserves;
4.3.7 Non-regulatory government agencies, such as the military;
4.3.8 Wildlife management entities including government, tribal, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs);
4.3.9 Cities, towns, and counties, especially in developing climate vulnerability strategies and plans;
4.3.10 Commercial and residential real estate property developers, including redevelopers;
4.3.11 Non-profits, community groups, and land owners.
4.4 Coordination and cooperation must fit into the process for improving community prepared...
SCOPE
1.1 Overview—Wildfires pose a significant risk to water utilities as they can cause contaminants of concern to be released into surface water and groundwater supplies (1).2 This can endanger human health if systems were not designed to manage these contaminant loads.
1.2 Purpose—Mitigation measures of wildfire effects on sediment loads, trace minerals, and contaminants of concern on runoff in a Source Water Protection Area (2) is an expanding area of study that does not have a full set of regulations at the federal or state level. This guide provides public-sector and private-sector land managers and water utility operators details on how to assess the potential impacts of wildfires on watersheds and measures that can be employed to minimize or abate those impacts prior to a wildfire occurring or after it occurs.
1.2.1 This guide supplements existing watershed and Source Water Protection Area guidance.
1.2.2 This guide will recommend fuel management prior to a wildfire, suppression strategies during a wildfire, and mitigation opportunities for both forests and water treatment systems after the wildfire. It will also support collaboration between involved stakeholders (see Fig. 1 below).
FIG. 1 Place-based characteristics for consideration when assessing threats to water supplies and treatment due to a wildfire (adapted from (3)).
1.2.3 The purpose of this guide is to provide a series of options that water utilities, landowners, and land managers can implement to limit the chance of a wildfire, specifically in a drinking water watershed, and mitigation opportunities to protect drinking water after a wildfire occurs. This guide encourages consistent management of forests to limit wildfire risks to water resources. The guide presents practices and recommendations based on the best available science to provide institutional and engineering actions to reduce the likelihood of a wildfire and the potentially disas...
General Information
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Standards Content (Sample)
This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the
Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.
Designation:E3312 −21
Standard Guide for
Mitigation of Wildfire Impact to Source Water Protection
1
Areas and Risk to Water Utilities
This standard is issued under the fixed designation E3312; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (´) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
1. Scope controls, and engineering controls that can be implemented by
utilities,landowners,andlandmanagersseekingtomitigatethe
1.1 Overview—Wildfires pose a significant risk to water
risk of wildfire in a source watershed. With climate change
utilities as they can cause contaminants of concern to be
2 wildfiresareanincreasinghazardthatcanaffectdrinkingwater
released into surface water and groundwater supplies (1). This
supplies. Often water utilities are not prepared for this risk and
can endanger human health if systems were not designed to
this guide seeks to support advanced planning.
manage these contaminant loads.
1.2.4 This guide ties into the ASTM E50 standards series
1.2 Purpose—Mitigation measures of wildfire effects on
related to environmental risk assessment and management.
sedimentloads,traceminerals,andcontaminantsofconcernon
1.2.5 The guide does not provide risk assessment, per se,
runoff in a Source Water Protection Area (2) is an expanding
but may help set priorities for creating a wildfire resilient
area of study that does not have a full set of regulations at the
watershed.
federal or state level. This guide provides public-sector and
1.3 Objectives—The objectives of this guide are to identify
private-sector land managers and water utility operators details
the risks of a source watershed o forest to wildfire and identify
on how to assess the potential impacts of wildfires on water-
actions that can be taken to manage those risks. The guide
sheds and measures that can be employed to minimize or abate
encourages users to set priorities based upon their associated
those impacts prior to a wildfire occurring or after it occurs.
risk. The guide encourages the us to develop long-term
1.2.1 This guide supplements existing watershed and
solutions for future wildfire risks.
Source Water Protection Area guidance.
1.2.2 This guide will recommend fuel management prior to 1.4 Limitations of this Guide—Given the different types of
a wildfire, suppression strategies during a wildfire, and miti- organizations that may wish to use this guide, as well as
gation opportunities for both forests and water treatment variations in state and local regulations, it is not possible to
systems after the wildfire. It will also support collaboration address all the relevant circumstances that might apply to a
between involved stakeholders (see Fig. 1 below). particular area. This guide uses generalized language and
1.2.3 The purpose of this guide is to provide a series of examples for the user. If it is not clear to the user how to apply
options that water utilities, landowners, and land managers can standards to their specific circumstances, users should seek
implement to limit the chance of a wildfire, specifically in a assistance from qualified professionals. Risks may vary de-
drinking water watershed, and mitigation opportunities to pending on the entity evaluating the risk. This guide does not
protect drinking water after a wildfire occurs. This guide take a position on the causes or science of extreme weather,
encourages consistent management of forests to limit wildfire natural disasters, or changing environmental conditions.
risks to water resources. The guide presents practices and
1.5 The guide uses references and information from many
recommendations based on the best available science to
cited sources on the control, management, and reduction of
provide institutional and engineering actions to reduce the
pre- and post-fire impacts.
likelihood of a wildfire and the potentially disastrous conse-
1.6 Several national and international agencies served as
quences. It presents available technologies, institutional
sources of information on existing and anticipated levels and
management of wildfire risks to drinking water supplies
1
This test method is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee E50 on
including:theWaterServicesAssociationofAustralia;theU.S.
Environmental Assessment, Risk Management and Corrective Action and is the
Department ofAgriculture; the U.S. Environmental Protection
direct responsibility of Subcommittee E50.05 on Environmental Risk Management.
Current edition approved Sept. 1, 2021. Published September 2021. DOI:
...
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