Wildfires, like those in Los Angeles, often ignite confusion and misinformation about the role of water resources in firefighting. In this week’s episode of the Waterloop podcast, Council members Kathryn Sorenson and Chad Seidel clear up these misunderstandings, focusing on how municipal water systems are designed for localized firefighting—not large-scale wildfires intensified by extreme weather.



To address these challenges, they highlight innovative strategies to strengthen infrastructure, improve emergency responses, and enhance community preparedness for future wildfires. Their insights underscore the urgency of adopting a proactive, collaborative approach to mitigate the rising risks of wildfires in a changing climate.

For four days now, sinks, showers and baths in Richmond, Va., have run empty. What little water there has been, officials announced on Monday after many residents had already discovered the outage firsthand, would have to be boiled if someone wanted to take a drink.

In Pennsylvania, a nursing facility temporarily shut off its water after a resident tested positive for Legionnaires’ disease. Administrators are implementing the appropriate precautions, such as providing bottled water and filters, to prevent any further contamination. However, as Legionnaires cases continue to increase nationally, water systems require immediate attention to safeguard the public’s drinking water.

It was 2014. Charles Perry was moving from the Texas House of Representatives to the Senate. The Panhandle lawmaker had several priorities, including water and how it gets to Texans. “We must continue looking into ways to conserve and develop our water infrastructure and resources at both a state and local level," Perry told the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal at the time. Since then he’s been seen as a catalyst for water in the Capitol — and he is still sounding the same alarm.

Los Angeles-area residents who already face warnings about their tap water could be without it for some time, experts told NBC News, owing to concerns about the damage done to local infrastructure and the chemicals released by wildfires. At least two water departments have told residents not to drink their tap water because of concerns about potential contamination from the ongoing wildfires. And the possibility of chemicals’ and pathogens’ entering the water system has raised concerns about potential risks to human health, though it may take a while for tests to determine the scope of the problem, particularly since the fires are still active.