Water & Wildfires

Newman Fire well protection
IB well snipped

Objective 3: Protect Water System from Wildfire Threat

Relevant Standards

  • Uninterrupted water, wastewater, and reclaimed water services
  • Water supply and system resilient to the effects of climate change
  • Provide safe, secure, and reliable service during normal and emergency conditions

Background

The majority of Flagstaff’s water supplies are located outside of town and in the forest. These supplies are extremely susceptible to the effects of wildfire. Climate change models indicate that the frequency of fires will increase due to higher temperatures and the lengthening of summer-like weather. This may include a higher frequency and/or severity of lightning storms, which also increases the risk of fire.

Challenge/Opportunity

Wildfires are an imminent threat to water service reliability because of the potential impact on critical water assets, including electricity to pump water, system communications, and the quality of water in Upper Lake Mary (due to silty runoff from fire ravaged areas). Loss of Upper Lake Mary as a water resource due to water quality problems would increase energy costs (pumping of additional water from aquifers).

Timing Concerns

Wildfires should be viewed as an immediate and increasing threat caused by climate change. The responses outlined in this Strategic Objective should be a high priority for the Division.

 

Water Services Strategic Plan 2025

Objective 3: Protect the Water

System from Wildfire Threat

 

Reporting Period:

January - June 2021

Reporting Period:    July-

December 2021

 

Specific Responses

Champion & TEAM

Accomplishments

Accomplishments

Next Steps

Support the funding of forest maintenance

Operations Manager, Water Production Manager, Flagstaff Fire

Water Production worked with the Forest Service to provide pipeline crossing mitigations so that a thinning project along the urban interface, just south of the Lake Mary Water Treatment Plant, could proceed without endangering Flagstaff's potable water supply.

Water Production covered all costs associated with locating, surveying, geotechnical work (borings) and design with the Fire Department planning on covering costs of implementation.

Wildland Fire initiative provided a sterady revenue stream to this program.

All high voltage powerlines and equipment will be inspected every 5 years for vegetation requiring mitigation.

Increase radio redundancy and protecting radio towers to improve communication

reliability

 

Design Work on Lake Mary and PW radio towers

Completed Public Works radio Tower, completing design on Lake Mary wellfield tower.

Building the Lake Mary tower.

Reduce communication risks by developing local control of water assets, including

treatment plants

 

Working on separating SCADA OT from common-use SCADA IT system.

Continued separating SCADA OT

from City IT. Using poice network as a pilot program

 

Assess reliability and rehabilitate (as needed) assets for transferring water to fight fires

 

Spring water from the Inner Basin was used to fill the west reservoir at the North Reservoir Filtration Plant for fire fighting purposes (helicopter drops) should the need arise.

Back up generators placed in service for emergency water supply

 

Purchase land for sedimentation ponds to protect Lake Mary WTP water quality and design these ponds (Contingent on Lake Mary yield predictions given climate

change)

 

Waiting on Forest Service action.

Waiting on Forest Service action.

 

Continue developing increased back-up power capabilities

 

 

Submitting backup generators for Rio de Flag WRP in bond and FEMA grant requests.

All generators will be maintained and tested quarterly/annually by Empire/CAT. Shore power will also ensure the generators are always charged, warm and ready for use regardless of time of year and weather.

Integrate increasing risks from wildfires into stormwater planning, including data collection, advanced hydrologic/ hydraulic modeling and flood warning system.

 

Rain gauge hydrology report completed with ten year history

Continued partnership between Stormwater and Wildland Fire (FWPP). Developing a new impervious surface layer based on better, more accurate data.

 

 

 

Water Services Strategic Plan 2025                  2020 Accomplishments
Objective 3: Protect the Water System from Wildfire ThreatReporting Period:  January-June 2020Reporting Period:        
 July-December 2020

 Specific ResponsesChampion & TEAMAccomplishmentsAccomplishments Next Steps
Support the funding of forest maintenanceOperations Manager,Water Production Manager, Flagstaff FireAll City of Flagstaff owned high voltage powerlines and electrical equipment in the Woody Mtn. Wellfield were cleared of vegetation     (149 trees pruned, 10 trees removed); both increasing water production system resiliency and decreasing wildfire threat.The Woody Mtn. Booster Station was cleared of encroaching vegetation and hazard trees threatening infrastructure; both increasing water production system resiliency and decreasing wildfire threat.All high voltage powerlines and equipment will be inspected every 5 years for vegetation requiring mitigation.
Increase radio redundancy and protecting radio towers to improve communication reliability



Reduce communication risks by developing local control of water assets, including treatment plants



Assess reliability and rehabilitate (as needed) assets for transferring water to fight fires



Purchase land for sedimentation ponds to protect Lake Mary WTP water quality and design these ponds (Contingent on Lake Mary yield predictions given climate change)



Continue developing increased back-up power capabilities
Two additional back up generators were purchased and another manual transfer switch (for connecting the generators) was installed at the Lake Mary Water Treatment Plant.All critical water production locations and associated transfer switches & connections were tested.  Additionally shore power (for block heaters and battery chargers) was installed on all 5 portable diesel-powered back-up generators.     All generators were added to maintenance management program with local Empire/CAT for routine inspection, maintenance, testing, etc.All generators will be maintained and tested quarterly/annually by Empire/CAT.  Shore power will also ensure the generators are always charged, warm and ready for use regardless of time of year and weather.